Fall session up in the air, NDP house leader says

With the summer session ending this week, MLAs are not set to return to the legislature until October 5, but even that date is not for certain, according to government house leader Mike Farnworth. 
 
“In terms of the fall, when and how long the session will be is still to be determined,” he told reporters yesterday. “Obviously, in this Covid environment, we want to make sure that we will be able to operate safely.”
 
Farnworth said the government is keeping a close eye on B.C.’s Covid case numbers, suggesting a “spike in cases” could delay the fall session or kibosh it all together.

The NDP is actively “working on bills” to further its legislative priorities this fall, per Farnworth. He also confirmed that neither Bill 22, Mental Health Amendment Act, or Bill 17, Clean Energy Amendment Act, will pass this summer. 
 
Without a fall session of some kind, both pieces of legislation will die on the order paper with the spring prorogation set to clean the slate in February. 
 
Currently, the fall session is set to begin on October 5 and wrap on November 26 with five sitting weeks and three constituency breaks — two weeks following the Thanksgiving long weekend and a third covering the week of Remembrance Day.