Richmond MLA Linda Reid replaced as Assistant Deputy Speaker

Richmond MLA Linda Reid has been replaced as Assistant Deputy Speaker of the B.C. legislature by Coquitlam-Burke Mountain’s Joan Isaacs.

Reid’s role as Assistant Deputy Speaker became contentious after a report was released by Speaker Darryl Plecas in January. The report looked into spending by two high-level legislative employees and raised questions about expense reports and a missing investigation into a retirement allowance that allegedly happened under Reid’s watch. Reid’s own travel expenses were also brought into question.

After the report was released, Green party leader Andrew Weaver called for Reid to step down from her role as Assistant Deputy Speaker, saying anyone charged with the day-to-day running of the legislature should have the confidence of the majority of the house.

“Until such time as we get to the bottom of this, it is totally and utterly inappropriate in my view for Ms. Reid to continue to remain in any capacity in the Speaker’s role,” Weaver told the Richmond News in January.

The position of Assistant Deputy Speaker is a sessional one, so its renewal comes up every time the legislature reopens.

The motion for Isaacs to replace Reid was put forward by MLA Mary Polak and came after Lt.-Gov. Janet Austin opened the spring session of the legislature Tuesday afternoon with the throne speech, which included a section on “trust in our public institutions.”

“The strength of this legislature does not come from stone, slate, marble or granite. It comes from a foundation of public trust,” the throne speech read. “That trust was recently shaken.”

Reid was the Speaker from 2013 to 2017 and took the position of Assistant Deputy Speaker when the NDP formed government in 2017 with support from the Green party. During her time as Assistant Deputy Speaker, Reid received $37,836.87, according to the Province of B.C.

The News has reached out to Reid for comment but has not yet received a response.