Archived Journals of the Legislative Assembly

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Glossary

Act

• Also called a statute. When a Bill (proposed law) passes third reading in the Legislative Assembly, and receives Royal Assent, it is thereby enacted and becomes an Act or law.
• Public Statutes generally deal with issues of significance for the whole province.
• Private, Local and Special Statutes are enacted by the Legislature on behalf of a person, a group, a municipality or a corporation, and affect only the interests of that person or group.
• See alsoRegulation.

Adjournment

• An adjournment temporarily ends a sitting or a Session. All business not concluded at the time of adjournment is resumed at the next sitting or Session.
• See alsoDissolution; Prorogation.

Amendment

• A modification made to the text of a Bill, Act or regulation by adding, removing or substituting text.

Amended Bill

• SeeReport Bill.

Amending Bill

• A Bill that proposes to amend an existing Act by adding, removing or substituting text in the existing Act.

Amending Regulation

• A regulation that amends an existing regulation or Act by adding, removing or substituting text.

Annual Bound Statutes (Buckram Bound, hardcover)

• After the end of each calendar year, the Queen’s Printer publishes an official hardcover version of all new Acts and amendment Acts, both public and private, that were enacted during the year. In the case of private Acts, the hardcover edition is likely the final publication, since most private Acts are rarely consolidated or revised. The hardcover version includes a cumulative Table of Legislative Changes.
• See alsoConsolidated Statutes; Official Version.

Bill

• A proposed law that is introduced to the Legislative Assembly for review and debate. A Bill becomes an Act (law) when it passes third reading. There are 3 types of Bill:
• Public Bills(generally deal with issues of significance for the whole province):
• A Government Bill is a public Bill introduced by a minister of the government, which reflects government policy.
• A Member's Bill is a public Bill introduced by an opposition MLA, or a government MLA who is not a minister.
• Private Bills(generally deal with a specific issue affecting a person or group):
• A Private Bill is introduced by an MLA on behalf of a person or a group outside the Legislative Assembly. When enacted they are called Private, Special or Local Acts.
• See alsoBill Stages; First Reading; Second Reading; Third Reading.
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Bill Stages

• A Bill must pass through the following stages before it becomes law: first reading, second reading, committee, report, third reading, Royal Assent. Not all Bills complete the process.
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Cabinet

• Members of the governing party who have been appointed ministers (heads of government ministries). Also called the Executive Council.
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Chapter Numbers

• When a Bill becomes an Act, as soon as it receives Royal Assent it is assigned a chapter number. The Act is then cited by its chapter number and year of passage; for example, the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Targets Act, introduced as Bill 17 of 2007, became Chapter 42 of the Statutes of British Columbia 2007, and is cited as S.B.C. 2007, c.42.
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Citation

• The numerical reference for a statute or regulation; for example, the citation for the Adoption Act is R.S.B.C. 1996, c.5, which refers to Chapter 5 of the Revised Statutes of British Columbia of 1996. You may also come across citations in this format: 2002-12-25, which refers to the year of enactment, chapter number, and section number.
• The citation for the Coal Act Regulation is B.C. Reg 251/2004, which is the number assigned by the Registrar of Regulations when the regulation was deposited, and the year of deposit.
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Coming into force

• The time when an Act or regulation takes effect and becomes the law. Acts come into force on the date of Royal Assent, unless the Act specifies otherwise in a commencement section. Different provisions of the Act may come into force on different dates. The commencement section details how the Act or different provisions of the Act are to come into force: either on a specified date, under specified circumstances, or by regulation. Regulations usually come into force on the date of deposit, unless there is another date specified in the regulation.
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Commencement Section

• Sometimes an Act has a commencement section (usually the last section in the Act) which details how and when the Act (or different provisions of the Act) comes into force. If there is no commencement section, the Act comes into force on the date of Royal Assent.
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Committee

• If a Bill passes second reading it moves to the committee stage (usually the Committee of the Whole House) where it is debated provision by provision. At this stage amendments to a Bill may be proposed. If a Bill is amended it is usually reprinted for the Report stage. If the Bill is not amended it may go directly to third reading.
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Committee of the Whole House

• A committee, composed of all MLAs, which debates a Bill provision by provision.
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Consequential Amendment

• When an Act is amended as a result of changes to - or the enactment of - another Act, it is called a consequential amendment.
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Consolidated Regulations of British Columbia

• At the end of each legislative session, all new public Acts are consolidated and published by the Queen's Printer in looseleaf format on watermarked paper. The consolidation is assigned an "amendment" or "consolidation" number and cut-off date for publication. Any amendments to existing Acts, that are in force at the cut-off date, are included and are blended into the original text (consolidated). A Table of Legislative Changes keeps track of the amendments, both those that are in force and those that are not in force at the cut-off date.
• See alsoGazette; Historical Note; Official Version.
• To purchase official print consolidations contact Crown Publications, Queen’s Printer.
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Consolidated Statutes of British Columbia ("the Looseleaf")

• At the end of each legislative session, all new public Acts are consolidated and published by the Queen's Printer in looseleaf format on watermarked paper. The consolidation is assigned an "amendment" or "consolidation" number and cut-off date for publication. Any amendments to existing Acts, that are in force at the cut-off date, are included and are blended into the original text (consolidated). A Table of Legislative Changes keeps track of the amendments, both those that are in force and those that are not in force at the cut-off date.
• Often referred to as the "looseleaf" the consolidated statutes are formatted for insertion into the binder volumes of the most recent Statute Revision, so that the statutes may be kept up-to-date.
• See alsoOfficial Version.
• To purchase official print consolidations contact Crown Publications, Queen’s Printer.
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Consolidation Period

• The period of time during which new material is incorporated into an instalment of the statutes and regulations. The date that accompanies each consolidation is the end date for that consolidation period, and serves as the cut-off date for publication.
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Current Unofficial Consolidation

• A collection of all legislation currently in force in the Province of British Columbia, including an early look at new Acts, regulations and amendments that have come into force since the last official consolidation was published. The current consolidation provides access to new legislation before the official print versions are available. The current consolidation is not an official version.
• See alsoConsolidated Statutes; Consolidated Regulations; Official Version.
• The current consolidations of statutes and regulations are published on BC Laws.
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Defunct Regulations

• Regulations that are repealed, replaced, expired or spent and thus are no longer in force.
• See alsoRepealed.
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Dissolution

• Dissolution ends a parliament. This is done by the Lieutenant Governor and is followed by a general election.
• See alsoAdjournment; Prorogation.
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Enact

• A term used to describe the act of making a law.
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Executive Council

• SeeCabinet.
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First Reading

• The introduction of a Bill to the House is called First Reading. The MLA sponsoring the Bill introduces the proposed law and explains its purpose. The Bill is not debated at this time but MLAs vote on whether to accept it for further debate. A second or third reading may follow.
• See alsoBill Stages; Committee; Second Reading; Third Reading.
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First Reading Bill

• For its introduction of a Bill into the House, a Bill is printed in first reading format which includes explanatory notes about the purpose of the Bill.
• See alsoBill Stages; Report Bill; Third Reading Bill.
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Gazette

• The British Columbia Gazette is published by the Queen's Printer under the authority of the Queen's Printer Act and the Regulations Act. Part I of the Gazette is published weekly and contains legal and official notices and proclamations. Part II is published every two weeks and contains the full text of all new regulations.
• Print copies of The Gazette are available from Crown Publications, Queen’s Printer.
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Hansard

• The verbatim transcript of what is said in the Legislative Assembly debates and in committees.
• Print copies of Hansard are available from Crown Publications, Queen’s Printer.
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Historical Note

• A note that follows a regulation section, detailing the enactment and amendment history of that section; for example, [en. B.C. Reg. 327/96, s. 1; am. B.C. Reg. 356/2000, s. 2.] In this example, the regulation section was enacted by section 1 of regulation 327/96, and later amended by section 2 of regulation 356/2000.
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Historical Supreme Court Rules

• Provides a full text of BC Regulation 310/76 and BC Regulation 221/90, as originally enacted. These two regulations were originally not reproduced in full within Gazette Part II at the time they were enacted; subsequent amendments to both regulations were gazetted.
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House

• Derived from the term House of Assembly, the "House" is now used most frequently to describe the members (MLAs) of the Legislative Assembly collectively.
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Legislative Assembly

• All the elected members of the provincial legislative assembly (MLAs) as a group, whether in government or opposition.
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Legislature

• Formally, the Lieutenant Governor acting by and with the advice and consent of the Legislative Assembly. The term is also commonly used to refer to the provincial parliament buildings which house the chamber where debates take place, the legislative library, and offices of staff and MLAs.
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Lieutenant Governor

• The Queen's representative in each province of Canada. The Lieutenant Governor’s approval (Royal Assent) is needed for a Bill to become law.
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Lieutenant Governor in Council

• The Lieutenant Governor acting by and with the advice and consent of the Executive Council.
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Looseleaf

• SeeConsolidated Statutes; Official Version.
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MLA

• A Member of the Legislative Assembly who is elected to represent, in the provincial parliament, the citizens of his or her riding.
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Motion

• A proposal put to the Legislative Assembly framed in such a way as to seek the House's opinion or decision. A motion initiates all business undertaken by the House.
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Official Version

• "Official" versions of B.C.'s statutes and regulations are all printed by the Queen's Printer and come in these formats:
• The Annual Bound Statutes;
• The British Columbia Gazette, Part II;
• The Consolidated Statutes of B.C. (looseleaf), printed at the end of each legislative session on watermarked paper;
• The Consolidated Regulations of B.C. (looseleaf), printed every four months (approximately) on watermarked paper;
• Individual consolidated statues and regulations printed on watermarked paper.
• To purchase official versions contact Crown Publications, Queen's Printer.
• See alsoAnnual Bound Statutes; Consolidated Statutes; Consolidated Regulations.
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Order, Order in Council, Ministerial Order

• Subordinate legislation made under the authority of a statute. Orders may be made by the Lieutenant Governor in Council, a minister, or an authorized official or body. Orders are generally used to handle day-to-day administrative matters. While most orders are administrative in nature, some may be classed as regulations.
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Parliament

• The period between general elections composed of sessions that are made up of individual sittings in the House; for example, The 36th Parliament, 2nd Session. Also, a term commonly used to refer to the Legislative Assembly.
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Point in Time (PIT)

• Tables linking users to an on-going list showing how sections of an act or regulation read prior to an amendment.
• Act PITS from September 2000 and Regulations PITS from September 2009 are available on BCLaws.
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Proclamation

• Proclamations by the Lieutenant Governor are used to convene, prorogue or dissolve the Legislative Assembly. Proclamations are also used to give official support to an event or cause by declaring it; for instance, Earth Day.
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Prorogation

• Prorogation ends a parliamentary session, abolishing all pending business and halting all committee work.
• See alsoAdjournment; Dissolution.
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Provision

• A clause in a law specifying a particular condition or requirement.
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Provisions in Force

• A list of all Acts affected (enacted, amended or repealed) during a session of the Legislative Assembly.
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Regulation

• Whereas an Act provides the policy framework, the regulation(s) under the Act provide the details to give effect to the policy. Not all Acts have regulations. Sometimes regulations are used to bring Acts into force.
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Regulations Bulletins

• A summary of all regulations deposited with the Registrar of Regulations during a given period (usually a week). The Cumulative Bulletin lists all regulations deposited during a calendar year.
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Repealed

• When laws are repealed they are no longer in force. Statutes and regulations can be repealed; repealed and replaced by another statute or regulation with a different title; or renamed. They can also have built-in expiry provisions, or be enacted for a specific period, after which they are considered to be spent without the need for repeal. If the Act under which a regulation is authorized is no longer in force the regulation expires, unless a replacement Act with similar authority takes its place.
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Report Bill

• If a Bill has been amended during committee debate it is reprinted in a version which highlights the changes and has the heading "For Report". This version is referred to as a Report Bill or an Amended Bill. The Bill can then be presented for third reading.
• See alsoBill Stages; First Reading Bill; Third Reading Bill.
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Revision

• Periodically (every 10 to 20 years in B.C.) the public statutes are revised, primarily to consolidate amendments, simplify the numbering, reorganize the content and update the language. The most recent revision was published in 1996 and is referred to as the Revised Statutes of British Columbia, 1996 (R.S.B.C. 1996). The 1996 Revision contains all public Acts that were in force on December 31, 1996, as they appeared on that day.
• The official print version of the 1996 Statute Revision is available from Crown Publications, Queen's Printer. The 1996 Revision is also available on BC Laws.
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Royal Assent

• After a Bill has passed third reading in the Legislative Assembly, the Lieutenant Governor, on behalf of the Queen, assents to the Bill by signing it. The Bill is thereby enacted and becomes an Act, i.e. a law. Unless an Act contains a stated effective date, or a provision requiring that it be brought into force by regulation, it comes into force on the day Royal Assent is given.
• See alsoCommencement Section.
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R.S.B.C.

• The abbreviation for the Revised Statutes of British Columbia. The citation R.S.B.C. 1996, c.22 indicates the statute was revised and republished as chapter 22 of the 1996 Revision.The Revised Statutes of 1996 stated the law as of December 31, 1996.
• See alsoRevision.
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S.B.C.

• The abbreviation for the Statutes of British Columbia. The citation S.B.C. 2003 c.25 indicates chapter 25 of the statutes enacted in 2003.
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Second Reading

• At second reading Members of the Legislative Assembly debate a Bill’s general principles and goals. If the Bill passes second reading it moves to the committee stage where it is debated provision by provision.
• See alsoBill Stages; Committee; First Reading; Third Reading
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Session

• A session is made up of a series of sittings of the Legislative Assembly during a parliament. A session begins with the Speech from the Throne and ends with prorogation or dissolution. At least one session of the Legislative Assembly is held each year.
• See alsoParliament; Sitting.
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Sitting

• A meeting of the Legislative Assembly.
• See alsoParliament; Session.
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Source Law

• Statutes as originally enacted by the Legislative Assembly; and regulations as filed or deposited with the Registrar of Regulations.
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Statute

• Also called an Act.
• SeeAct.
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Supplement

• When a statute revision is done, supplements are created to keep track of any amendments to Acts that were enacted but not in force on the cut-off date for the revision.
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Table of Legislative Changes

• This table identifies "Changes Not in Force" and "Changes in Force" of an Act. The table includes the Section of the Act affected by changes; the nature of these changes; the enactment making the changes; "Changes Not in Force", and also, how the changes are to come into force.
• The first edition (January 1, 1997 to December 31, 2004); second edition (January 1, 2005 to December 31, 2013); and third edition (January 1, 2014 to present) Table of Legislative Changes (TLCs) are published on BC Laws.
• Prior to the Statue Revision the Historical Table provided similar information as the Table of Legislative Changes for Acts from 1979 to the 1996 Revision. Historical Tables are also available on BC Laws.
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Third Reading

• Third Reading is the final opportunity for the legislative assembly to debate a Bill before a final vote is taken on whether to pass it, although the Bill is not usually debated at this stage. Once a Bill has passed third reading the Speaker announces that it is an Act of the Legislative Assembly.
• See alsoBill Stages; Committee; First Reading; Second Reading.
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Third Reading Bill

• A Bill that has been voted on and passed by the Legislative Assembly with or without amendment. Once the Bill has passed third reading it is certified correct by the Law Clerk before being printed.
• See alsoBill Stages; First Reading Bill; Report Bill.
• Bills from the first session, 36th Parliament of 1996 to present are available on BCLaws.
• Sources: Legislation Made Easy, 3rd edition, 2010; Legislative Assembly website at www.leg.bc.ca; and e-Laws Ontario at www.e-laws.gov.on.ca.
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