Final Day of Spring Session

Today marked the final day of the spring session of the Legislature. It was also a special day for us as we hosted 12 ladies and one gentleman from a number of Prayer Canada chapters in Metro Vancouver. They have weekly prayer meetings in City Halls. We had a fantastic time together as we visted, shared lunch and then spent the afternoon at the Legislature. We are very indebted to the ministry of Prayer Canada as they have prayed for our municipal and provincial governments for many years.

While we were having lunch I was able to prepare them for what they would see at Question Period. Given that this was the last day of the session, QP was going to be more raucous than usual and I wanted them to know what to expect. Some people think that what happens at Question Period is what happens every day all day. It's not true. Question Period is really a 30 minute window where the Opposition is able to set the agenda and ask the government any question that they choose. However, both sides go into QP with the understanding that it's not really about getting answers but more about political posturing and if you are lucky, saying something that will get you on the 6 PM news or into tomorrow's paper. (Of course, the goal for the government is to avoid being on the news or in the paper because of what happened during QP.)
One day our youngest son (10) leaned over and asked me why they don't just answer the question. I shared his question with a Cabinet minister and an Opposition MLA. Both gave me the same answer. They said 'Tell him it's not called Answer Period."

There are too many names (and not enough time...) to remember everyone who was there, but thanks to Leona for putting the trip together, to Selma for the kind gift, and to everyone else who came. It was a delight to have you join me for the day. I also want to say thanks to Susan, Rina and the kitchen crew from the Cridge Club who provided us with lunch.

For the benefit of those who might be interested in seeing one of the more interesting Question Period sessions from the spring, I'm including a link to the BC Legislature site. If you are in a hurry, the last 10 minutes give you an idea of what politics in BC looks like when the gloves really come off... Pour a cup of coffee, click the link and enjoy ....

http://leg.bc.ca/hansard/video/archive.asp?video=200805291315&time=14:25:48&duration=00:33:58&toc=archive