JACKIE Tegart, MLA for Fraser-Nicola, has been appointed Assistant Deputy Speaker for the BC Legislature and will chair meetings as the representative for the Official Opposition.

“It is an incredible honour to be entrusted with a position that is so crucial to our political process,” said Tegart, who was first elected in 2013 and re-elected in 2017 and 2020. “There are some incredible MLAs who have served as the Assistant Deputy Speaker in the past. I am committed to carrying out my role with the same fairness, impartiality, and respect for our legislative rules and proceedings that my predecessors all showed.”

Since 2020, Tegart had served as the Official Opposition Critic for Education. She previously served as the Official Opposition Caucus Chair.

The Assistant Deputy Speaker presides over daily sessions of the House and oversees debates and proceedings when the Deputy Speaker or the Speaker himself is not in the chair. Created in the 38th session of parliament, the Assistant Deputy Speaker was the first opportunity for an Opposition MLA to hold a position as one of the Assembly’s senior presiding officers.