What does an MLA actually do?

An MLA is the person your electoral district elects to sit in the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia and speak for the district there. The provincial Constitution Act puts it directly in section 18: a member represents the electoral district for which the member was elected. Most people call that district a riding. Elections BC calls it an electoral district.

The Legislative Assembly describes the job as having three parts. One part is parliamentary work in the Chamber and in committees. One part is representative work for the people who live in the riding. One part is caucus work with other members. British Columbia has 93 electoral districts under the Electoral Districts Act, so up to 93 people hold the job at once. A vacant seat has no member until a by-election fills it; the seats today are on Seats by party.

What does an MLA do in the Legislature?

Parliamentary work is the part that happens in Victoria. The Legislative Assembly lists four functions for it. Members consider and vote on bills. Members scrutinize and authorize public spending and taxes. Members put questions to government about its plans and policy, and the Assembly counts public education about parliamentary democracy as part of the role too.

Spending is the piece people tend to underestimate. Every dollar the provincial government spends has to be authorized by the Legislative Assembly. The detailed examination happens in the Committee of Supply, a Committee of the Whole that Standing Order 60 requires to be appointed for each Session. Parliamentary Practice in British Columbia describes it as a committee comprised of all Members except the Speaker.

Private members also get floor time that belongs to them rather than to the government. Parliamentary Practice in British Columbia notes that members may present petitions from constituents and may make two-minute statements during Routine Business.

What does an MLA do in my riding?

Constituency work is the year-round half of the job. Every MLA keeps an office in the riding, and the Legislative Assembly describes a major part of the role as giving constituents advice and hands-on help in dealing with government programs and agencies.

In practice that means a caseworker in the riding office chasing a stalled file. Parliamentary Practice in British Columbia says constituency offices assist people with questions or concerns about provincial programs and policies and benefits, and that members may contact ministers or ministry officials about matters affecting individual constituents.

When the Legislative Assembly is not sitting, the Assembly says MLAs can usually be found at the constituency office or out meeting residents and local businesses and community groups.

What are caucus and committees?

Caucus is the private meeting of members who sit together under one party label. The Legislative Assembly says members discuss policy development and House strategy at these meetings and settle caucus positions on matters coming up for debate. Parliamentary Practice in British Columbia notes that some members are elected as Independent Members with no political party affiliation, and records that a member may do the same work as an Independent Member.

Committees are the smaller working bodies of the Assembly. Members may be elected or appointed as presiding officers or as committee members or committee chairs. Committee work includes the annual budget consultation, which under the Budget Transparency and Accountability Act is carried out by a select standing committee.

What can an MLA not do?

Municipal decisions are made by municipal councils. The Community Charter recognizes municipalities and their councils as an order of government within their jurisdiction that is democratically elected and autonomous and accountable. The same Act vests the soil and freehold of every highway in a municipality in that municipality, apart from Provincial arterial highways. The Local Government Act gives a local government the power to divide a municipality into zones and regulate the use of land. An MLA sits in none of those bodies. Garbage collection and local zoning and most residential streets are municipal council decisions.

Federal matters sit outside the job as well. Parliamentary Practice in British Columbia describes the Constitution Act, 1867 as creating a federation with separate powers at the federal and provincial levels, each legislature empowered to make law in its own area of responsibility. A question that falls in the federal area of responsibility belongs with a Member of Parliament.

Courts sit outside it too. The same description of the Constitution Act, 1867 sets out separate executive and legislative and judicial powers at the federal and provincial levels.

How do I contact my MLA?

Start with the Legislative Assembly’s Find MLA by Constituency page. It lists all 93 electoral districts and links through to the sitting member’s profile, which carries the constituency office address along with phone and email.

If you are unsure which district you live in, Elections BC runs an address lookup. Your MLA’s constituency office handles provincial casework directly.