Motion M 203

Motion defeated 45 to 46

A motion under which the House affirms that an independent officer of the Legislature should oversee the merit principle in the BC public service.

Under the Public Service Act a merit commissioner audits appointments to the BC public service and reviews certain dismissals. Bill 2, the Budget Measures Implementation Act, 2026, dissolves that office: it repeals the sections on appointing the commissioner, on those audits and reviews, and on the commissioner's power to summon people and records, and makes the head of the BC Public Service Agency the merit commissioner instead. Motion M 203, moved on March 12, 2026, asked the House to affirm that an independent officer of the Legislature should oversee the merit principle.