B.C. throne speech cancelled after mass shooting in Tumbler Ridge

Looking past throne speech

Photo: The Canadian Press

The throne speech is read at the legislature in Victoria, B.C., on Monday, February 6, 2023. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chad Hipolito

What will the cancellation of this year’s throne speech mean for people living in the Kamloops area? Not much, according to local MLAs.

The annual speech, which traditionally offers a sneak peek at the government’s agenda and plans for the year, was set for Thursday.

Its cancellation was announced Wednesday in the wake of the mass shooting that left nine dead in Northern B.C. Lt.-Gov. Wendy Cocchia will instead deliver an address dedicated to the people of Tumbler Ridge, followed by a series of brief legally mandated procedures.

Prior to Tuesday’s shooting, Castanet asked three Kamloops-area B.C. Conservative MLAs what they expected to hear in the throne speech.

Fraser-Nicola MLA Tony Luck won't feel like he’s missing much. He said the address is mostly a "legislative formality" that comes loaded with government rhetoric.

“We were pretty disappointed with the throne speech last year," he said.

"It really was short on details. We were quite surprised how short the throne speech was, actually, last year.”

Peter Milobar, the MLA for Kamloops-Centre, told Castanet he was hoping for a speech focused on moving the province forward rather than dwell on the threat from the U.S.

“I would expect even more so than previous years, not a whole lot of detail and nor clarity as to where the government is heading or not,” he said.

MLA Ward Stamer, who represents Kamloops-North Thompson, was already looking past the throne speech when Castanet asked for his thoughts.

“I've been honestly more focused on the budget and what's going to be in the budget and what's not going to be in the budget,” he said.

“It will be quite interesting to see what the finance minister is going to try to do to turn that around.”

The throne speech opens each new session of the legislature, outlining the government’s agenda, policy goals and legislative priorities for the coming year.

A year ago, Cocchia delivered an address that evoked wartime imagery with references to Winston Churchill, D-Day and the fight against Nazis, which came amid tariff threats and assertions from U.S. President Donald Trump that Canada should become the 51st state.

— with files from The Canadian Press