ON Monday afternoon, the BC United Party voted against a motion for the legislature to sit past 6 p.m. in order to pass Bill 47, which will build urgently-needed housing around transit hubs.

THE NDP said in a press release that in response to the government proposal to sit beyond the legislature’s normal hours, BC United Party MLA Mike de Jong made a lengthy and impassioned speech about how the motion to work past 6 p.m. was “a dangerous precedent.”

House Leader Ravi Kahlon responded: “British Columbians sometimes have to work a little later in the day…what we’re saying here is we have work to do and we have to stay a little bit later in the day. And I would really appreciate if the members would stay later in the day to do that work.”