TIMES COLONIST: MLA nearly ejected over heckling

Kamloops South Thompson Liberal
MLA Kevin Krueger

My MLA for Kamloops South Thompson riding, Kevin Krueger, is well known for his outbursts in the BC Legislative Assembly. 

Last, week, as outlined in the following story from the Victoria Times Colonist, he continued that tradition.  The story described him, politely, as being 'boisterous' ... 'interjecting' ... 'heckling' ... and 'rude'.

NDP MLA also said that Krueger's comments were, "... loud, vindictive, boorish and irrelevant to the budget debate."

Here is the story in full:

THE HECKLER - The boisterous member for Kamloops-South Thompson, Kevin Krueger, was almost booted from the chamber this past week for not being able to keep his mouth shut.

Krueger, whose booming voice is often heard interjecting into other MLA speeches, cut into independent Vicki Huntington's response to the budget Thursday.

"Do you represent anything?" he shouted.

"I represent the people, Member," she replied.

Huntington had to sit down twice to wait for silence, but Krueger kept on going.

He raised an incorrect point of order demanding Huntington "speak her mind and not read a prepared text to us" but was overruled.

The former cabinet minister picked up the pace a few minutes later when Scott Fraser spoke, forcing the NDP MLA to sit down three times due to heckling.

"I don't believe everyone can hear the debate when he's being this rude," Fraser said.

Finally, chairman Doug Horne gave Krueger a final warning before he was to be ejected from the chamber.

The issue has landed in Speaker Bill Barisoff's office, after a complaint by Fraser.

Krueger's outbursts were "loud, vindictive, boorish and irrelevant to the budget debate," Fraser said later, and he also accused him of "bullying" Huntington.

This is NOT the kind of MLA we should be having as our elected representative for Kamloops South Thompson ... what do you think?

I'm Alan Forseth in Kamloops ... with the thoughts of one conservative.

FOLLOW-UP from today:

Times Colonist reporter Rob Shaw asked MLA Kevin Krueger if his constant heckling is rude - Krueger told reporter his gum chewing is rude.