Latest news with #Glumac
Vancouver Sun
2 days ago
- Business
- Vancouver Sun
Farce in legislature as B.C. Conservatives seek a provincial election over a blurred Zoom call
VICTORIA — The legislature descended briefly into farce this week in a dispute over a cabinet minister who blurred the background behind him while voting online on a key piece of legislation. Opposition leader John Rustad argued that 'blurgate' — as one of the New Democrats called it — was serious enough to have led to the defeat of the NDP government. The alleged infraction happened Wednesday night, as the New Democrats pushed through Bills 14 and 15, increasing the cabinet's power to fast-track approvals for energy projects and infrastructure. Several New Democrats exercised the option of casting their votes using the Zoom online platform. One who did so was Rick Glumac, the junior minister of state for trade and NDP MLA for Port Moody-Burquitlam. A daily roundup of Opinion pieces from the Sun and beyond. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder. The next issue of Informed Opinion will soon be in your inbox. Please try again Interested in more newsletters? Browse here. When Glumac voted in support of Bill 14 shortly after 7 p.m., he did so with a blurred background. When he voted on Bill 15 an hour later, he'd abandoned the blurring and changed to a clear background. The B.C. Conservatives pounced on the distinction, arguing that the blurring violated the guidelines for voting by Zoom issued by Speaker Raj Chouhan himself. 'A quiet, private location with good lighting should be selected,' said MLA Peter Milobar, quoting from the rule book. 'The backdrop must be neutral, free of political or partisan images or slogans. Zoom virtual backgrounds must not be applied. 'The only way to have a blurred background is by electronic means, which would be virtual,' Milobar continued. 'That is the only possible way the technology happens, for the minister of state for trade to have a blurred background on one vote and an hour later a clear background.' Then the Opposition pitch to Speaker Chouhan: 'We would ask for a reconsideration, based on the Speaker's own rules, that the minister of state for trade was not eligible to have his vote cast on Bill 14.' If Glumac's participation were disallowed, Bill 14 would have been defeated 46 votes to 45. The Speaker had already ruled that there was no specific rule against use of a blurred background. Now, pressed by the Conservatives, he did so explicitly a second time. 'The chair has already ruled on this issue earlier,' Chouhan advised the house. 'The chair does not consider a blurred background to be a virtual background.' The Conservatives protested angrily, whereupon the Speaker reminded the house: 'Members, no argument with the chair.' He was citing a rule adopted after the Solidarity protests against the 1980s Social Credit government. Those protests spilled over into the chamber and the house was paralyzed by constant challenges to the chair. Under the new rules adopted 40 years ago, challenges were no longer allowed: 'The Speaker delivers rulings through a statement to the house and the matter is no longer open for debate or discussion.' Following the current Speaker's warning, the Conservatives stormed out in protest. As they left, one of their number, Kelowna Mission MLA Gavin Dew, snarled an insult, which the Speaker took as a direct attack. 'The member for Kelowna-Mission has left by making a very disparaging remark to the chair,' ruled Chouhan. 'He will not be allowed to return to the chamber until he comes back and apologizes.' A half-hour later, Dew obtained permission to return and said, 'I made an inappropriate remark, and I withdraw.' Though not strictly an apology, it was sufficient for a Speaker determined to lower the temperature in the room. 'Thank you, member, you now have permission to sit,' said Chouhan. 'But I remind all members, you can disagree with each other but never question the chair's ruling (and) never be disrespectful to the chair.' The matter should have ended there, with the Conservatives cooling down and the house winding down for the night. But, next day, Rustad escalated the attack on Chouhan. 'He has seriously shaken our confidence in his ability to carry on with that job,' the Conservative leader told reporters. 'There is no mechanism that we can do, unfortunately, to be able to voice that displeasure in the confidence we have with the Speaker.' Yet with the house not scheduled to sit again until October, Opposition tempers should have cooled by then. NDP house leader Mike Farnworth dismissed the notion that the NDP could have fallen on the issue. There's a recognition in B.C. that governments aren't defeated by accident and the government always has the option of scheduling an explicit confidence motion to clarify the support of the house. The blurring was an 'accidental technicality,' argued Farnworth, not evidence that the minister was gallivanting where he had no business to be. 'He was clearly in a room in a house. 'Blurring is not a virtual background,' continued Farnworth. 'Maybe a member of the Opposition, sitting on a beach with half a coconut, with an umbrella in it and palm trees — that would be a virtual background.' That left only the hapless Glumac. He's toiled mostly in obscurity through his eight years in the legislature. After this week, he risks being remembered mainly as 'the blurred guy' at the centre of a ridiculous standoff. vpalmer@
Hamilton Spectator
3 days ago
- Politics
- Hamilton Spectator
B.C. Tories say NDP government should have fallen because of blurred Zoom screen
VICTORIA - If it were up to B.C. Conservative Leader John Rustad, British Columbians would have found themselves at the start of an election campaign Thursday — because of a blurred Zoom screen. Rustad says Speaker Raj Chouhan shouldn't have counted an online vote on Wednesday night by Rick Glumac, minister of state for trade, arguing the blurred background of his screen violated the legislature's prohibition against virtual backgrounds. The vote on the government's Bill 14 was a confidence vote — and without Glumac's vote, or the tiebreaker cast by Chouhan, Rustad says the Opposition would have won 46 to 45. But B.C. NDP house leader Mike Farnworth says Glumac was clearly sitting in a room, with his face visible. He says that blurring the background of a room is an established practice and it's not the same as using a virtual background. Farnworth says a true example of a virtual background would be a member of the Opposition 'sitting on a beach with half a coconut, with an umbrella in it, and palm trees' and that the complaint about Glumac is 'nonsense.' This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 29, 2025.
Winnipeg Free Press
3 days ago
- Politics
- Winnipeg Free Press
B.C. Tories say NDP government should have fallen because of blurred Zoom screen
VICTORIA – If it were up to B.C. Conservative Leader John Rustad, British Columbians would have found themselves at the start of an election campaign Thursday — because of a blurred Zoom screen. Rustad says Speaker Raj Chouhan shouldn't have counted an online vote on Wednesday night by Rick Glumac, minister of state for trade, arguing the blurred background of his screen violated the legislature's prohibition against virtual backgrounds. The vote on the government's Bill 14 was a confidence vote — and without Glumac's vote, or the tiebreaker cast by Chouhan, Rustad says the Opposition would have won 46 to 45. But B.C. NDP house leader Mike Farnworth says Glumac was clearly sitting in a room, with his face visible. He says that blurring the background of a room is an established practice and it's not the same as using a virtual background. Farnworth says a true example of a virtual background would be a member of the Opposition 'sitting on a beach with half a coconut, with an umbrella in it, and palm trees' and that the complaint about Glumac is 'nonsense.' This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 29, 2025.
Winnipeg Free Press
06-05-2025
- Business
- Winnipeg Free Press
Washington State's Lt.-Gov is in B.C., seeking deeper ties amid trade, Trump turmoil
VICTORIA – A political delegation from Washington state is visiting Victoria to try to deepen ties with British Columbia, amid cross-border turmoil triggered by a trade war and U.S. President Donald Trump's annexation talk. Washington's Lt.-Gov. Denny Heck is heading the delegation and is meeting with members of all B.C. parties in the legislature to set up a new forum on mutual interests such as trade. Washington is British Columbia's largest trading partner in the United States with 32 per cent of B.C. exports going to the state. Washington Lt.-Gov. Denny Heck speaks following the state of the state address from Gov. Jay Inslee during a joint legislative session at the Washington state capitol, Tuesday, Jan. 9, 2024, in Olympia, Wash. THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP-Lindsey Wasson B.C. Minister of State for Trade Rick Glumac says today's meeting is critically important because of U.S. tariffs that are also hurting American families and businesses. Glumac says British Columbia and Washington State also share many other challenges, pointing to the Columbia River Treaty, which has been the subject of long-running negotiations that have been paused by the U.S. side. Winnipeg Free Press | Newsletter Winnipeg Jets Game Days On Winnipeg Jets game days, hockey writers Mike McIntyre and Ken Wiebe send news, notes and quotes from the morning skate, as well as injury updates and lineup decisions. Arrives a few hours prior to puck drop. Sign up for The Warm-Up Glumac says he expects that Prime Minister Mark Carney's discussions with Trump will come up in the meeting with Heck. This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 6, 2025.
