2015 Legislative Session: Fourth Session, 40th Parliament

HANSARD

The following electronic version is for informational purposes only.

The printed version remains the official version.

official report of

Debates of the Legislative Assembly

(hansard)

Wednesday, February 25, 2015

Afternoon Sitting

Volume 20, Number

ISSN 0709-1281 (Print)

ISSN 1499-2175 (Online)

CONTENTS

Page

Routine Business

Tributes

Peter Dueck

Hon. M. de Jong

M. Farnworth

Introductions by Members

Introduction and

First Reading of Bills

Bill Pr401 — World Wide Marriage Encounter Society (Corporate Restoration) Act, 2015

S. Hammell

Statements

(Standing Order 25B)

Pink Shirt Day

J. Thornthwaite

Fairview winter market and support for local producers

G. Heyman

Stó:lō Community Futures

J. Martin

Women in trades

K. Corrigan

Conflict resolution and Mediate B.C. Society

M. Bernier

Bains family fundraising for Variety Club

S. Hammell

Oral Questions

Government response to review of Health Ministry investigation

J. Horgan

Hon. C. Clark

Adoption of children impacted by domestic violence case

D. Donaldson

Hon. S. Cadieux

Wait times for colon cancer screening services

J. Darcy

Hon. T. Lake

S. Fraser

Implementation of bus service on Highway 16

M. Karagianis

Hon. J. Rustad

J. Rice

Hon. T. Stone

Government action on safe transportation on Highway 16

J. Rice

Hon. T. Stone

Conflict-of-interest inquiry regarding Energy Minister role in hunting policy issues

K. Conroy

Hon. B. Bennett

Point of Privilege

(Reservation of Right)

Hon. Michelle Stilwell

Motions Without Notice

Appointment of Health Committee

Hon. M. de Jong

Orders of the Day

Budget Debate (continued)

S. Chandra Herbert

G. Kyllo

J. Kwan

L. Larson

J. Darcy

J. Sturdy

N. Macdonald

S. Gibson

K. Corrigan

L. Reimer

M. Dalton

M. Hunt

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WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 2015

The House met at 1:32 p.m.

[Madame Speaker in the chair.]

Routine Business

Prayers.

Tributes

PETER DUECK

Hon. M. de Jong: Peter Dueck was one of those individuals who, in a quiet and dignified way, stood for all that is good about public service. He, as an individual, as a man, as an MLA and a minister, upheld the very highest ethical standards. His contribution to his community and his province was longstanding. From the time he arrived as a young man in British Columbia, he served as a councillor on the then district of Matsqui and went on to serve in this place as an MLA and, ultimately, as a Minister of Health. He was something of a mentor for me. His resignation led to the by-election that brought me here.

He passed away last week. All of Abbotsford, I suspect much of British Columbia and certainly any of the families whose lives he touched in a variety of capacities are today grieving. All of us, I’m sure, are thinking of Peter’s family and thanking them for sharing Peter Dueck with all of British Columbia and Canada.

M. Farnworth: I’d like to join with the Government House Leader in extending our condolences to the Dueck family from this side of the House as well.

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When I was first elected in 1991, I had the pleasure of serving with Peter. He was on this side of the House. He was, as the minister said, a true gentleman. I had only known him from seeing him in the news prior to that.

I’m reminded of one particular story, which I think said a lot about him. He was a very thoughtful minister, who came across quite straight, prim and proper. There was an issue around sex education, I believe it was. He took a bit of heat in the media. He showed up in front of the gallery the next day with a button that said: “I like sex.” It said a lot about him. He was a man who, yes, came across as very prim, but he had a great sense of humour.

It was a pleasure to work with him in 1991, when I first met him. As I just said, I want to extend our condolences on behalf of our caucus, along with the government, to his family.

Introductions by Members

J. Thornthwaite: I have some very exciting guests to introduce in the Legislature today. First of all is Travis Price. Travis Price started Pink Shirt Day many moons ago in Nova Scotia and is the Premier’s inspiration for spearheading the ERASE Bullying program here in British Columbia.

I’d also like to introduce both Caddy Pattison and Jeremy Church from Mountainside Secondary in North Vancouver; Shelley Hine, Julia Staub-French, Sam Smith and Hasti Pourriahi from North Shore Family Services and the Youth LAB, who help kids in the schools with regards to mental health issues; Buffy Cornell and Paige Thomson through the Canadian Mental Health Association; Brent Seal, founder of Mavrixx and the Vancouver Wellness Meetup; and Keli Anderson, from the FORCE, helping families deal with issues to do with mental illness. I’d love it if the gallery would make them most welcome.

K. Corrigan: It gives me a great deal of pleasure to again introduce some of the representatives that have been here for the last three days, members of the Alliance of B.C. Students, who represent 140,000 students across this province — students, graduate students and people in the trades.

I see that there are some of them here again yet today. We’ve all, on both sides of the House, had a great time hearing from them, hearing their ideas, hearing their concerns and even meeting socially with some of them. I hope that everyone will please make them, once again, very welcome.

D. Horne: It’s a great pleasure today that I rise and introduce one of my biggest supporters. Many rise and talk about all of the things that many people do for them and all of the different places that they help. This person is my everything in many, many ways. I have to say that comes to even in politics, as last election, when my campaign manager had a heart attack three days before the writ, my lovely wife stepped in as my campaign manager.

It truly is a partnership and something that I cherish very much. Some have actually said that they enjoy her company more than mine. I’m not certain if that’s necessarily a fair statement, but how better to celebrate our 20th anniversary than to do so with all of my extended family here in the House? I hope everyone will make her truly welcome.

D. Eby: Today in the precinct members of the Vancouver Island Strata Owners Association are coming to share their thoughts with me about what needs to be reformed in terms of rights for strata condo owners in our province — a very knowledgable bunch. I really appreciate their time. I understand they have plans to meet with the Minister of Finance, as well, and I wish them luck in that. I would invite the House to make them feel welcome.

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Hon. P. Fassbender: In the House and the precinct this week I am pleased to welcome 14 teachers from across British Columbia who have been selected to participate in the B.C. Teachers Institute on Parliamentary Democracy. Joining them are two observers: Vanessa Gregg, from the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba, and Carol Schmidt, a teacher from Washington state.

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They will be, as I said, with us for the remainder of this week, expanding their knowledge of our parliamentary system. They’re also joined by three of their peers who are returning as alumni in the role of facilitators — Ms. Lucie Ferrari, Mr. Neil Powell and Mrs. Yvonne DeWith. I ask the members to make them feel welcome.

J. Rice: Today I have the pleasure of introducing a constituent from the Bella Coola Valley. I would like the House to make Susan O’Neill feel welcome. Susan O’Neill is an instrumental person in her community that brings together the Bella Coola Valley Music Festival, previously known as the Discovery Coast Music Festival. I’m inspired by Susan. I’ve been following her on Facebook.

I want to wish you all the best in your planking, squatting, pushing and crunching on your new exercise regime.

D. Barnett: I would like to ask the House to welcome two young students, one from the Cowichan Valley and one from Williams Lake, who were here today and met with members of caucus. They are on the ERASE student advisory council and also did a wonderful job on the steps of the Legislature today — Donavan Shaw, from Williams Lake; and Wim Redenberg, from the Cowichan Valley.

K. Conroy: I so rarely get to introduce people from my constituency. I want to take the opportunity to introduce one of the teachers. Colin Adamson is from the community of Rossland, but he teaches at J.L. Crowe. I’ve heard really good things about him there, and I want to welcome him here to the House here today.

Hon. A. Wilkinson: Somewhere in the buildings today — they haven’t made it in here yet — is a fleet of 75 students from Shaughnessy Elementary School. They’re with only one identified teacher — I hope they have more than one person to take care of that fleet — Ms. Carla Pace. We welcome them to the House.

Secondly, of course, further greetings to the Alliance of B.C. Students and their chairperson, Jessica Lar-Son. I’ll be seeing them later today.

M. Bernier: You would think, having five children, that I would have had the opportunity before today to introduce one of them in the House, but frankly, today is actually the first time I’ve had the opportunity. I’d like the House to welcome my newly 19-year-old daughter Michaela, who’s visiting today with her friend Sarah Albagher.

Introduction and

First Reading of Bills

BILL Pr401 — WORLD WIDE MARRIAGE

ENCOUNTER SOCIETY (CORPORATE

RESTORATION) ACT, 2015

S. Hammell presented a bill intituled World Wide Marriage Encounter Society (Corporate Restoration) Act, 2015.

S. Hammell: I move that a bill, World Wide Marriage Encounter Society (Corporate Restoration) Act, 2015, standing in my name on the order paper, be introduced and now read a first time.

Motion approved.

S. Hammell: This bill is being introduced in order to restore the World Wide Marriage Encounter Society to the British Columbia register of companies. The society was removed from the register of companies in 1986 for unintentionally failing to file annual reports. The society did not become aware of this until recently and now proposes to apply for restoration. Due to the number of years since the society was removed from the register of companies, the only avenue for restoration is by way of a private bill.

I move that the bill be referred to the Select Standing Committee on Parliamentary Reform, Ethical Conduct, Standing Orders and Private Bills.

Bill Pr401, World Wide Marriage Encounter Society (Corporate Restoration) Act, 2015, introduced, read a first time and referred to the Select Standing Committee on Parliamentary Reform, Ethical Conduct, Standing Orders and Private Bills.

Statements

(Standing Order 25B)

PINK SHIRT DAY

J. Thornthwaite: It’s Pink Shirt Day here in B.C., and today we all stand united against bullying, whether it’s in our schools, the workplace or on line.

This movement began in Nova Scotia in 2007, when high school students David Shepherd and Travis Price bought and distributed 50 pink shirts to support another student who was bullied for wearing that colour. Since then, the campaign has gone global, with more than 25 countries adopting their own anti-bullying campaigns,

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and it has led the United Nations to officially declare May 4 as Anti-Bullying Day.

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Here in British Columbia we’re working hard to end bullying through the ERASE Bullying strategy. Since it began in 2012, ERASE has made B.C. a national leader in bullying prevention and the first province in the country to adopt a comprehensive plan that addresses this complex issue.

We now know that there is a connection between bullying and suicide. Earlier this week we saw Graham Moore, winner of the best adapted screen play for The Imitation Game , tell the one billion people watching the Academy Awards about his failed suicide attempt. In his words:

“When I was 16 years old, I tried to kill myself because I felt weird and I felt different and I felt I did not belong. And now I’m standing here. I would like this moment to be for that kid out there who feels like she’s weird or she’s different or she doesn’t fit in anywhere. Yes, you do. I promise you do.

“Stay weird, stay different, and when it’s your turn, and you’re standing on this stage, please pass the same message to the next person who comes along.”

That’s exactly what we’re doing here today, and we’re here to tell everyone who is suffering that it’s okay to be different, that it will get better, and we are standing beside you, ready to help.

FAIRVIEW WINTER MARKET AND

SUPPORT FOR LOCAL PRODUCERS

G. Heyman: Throughout B.C. we’re blessed with active and flourishing produce, poultry, livestock and dairy farms. We have beekeepers and fishers, bakers of breads and pastries, chocolatiers and cheesemakers. We’re all familiar with these hard-working people who bring their goods to our community markets throughout the summer and fall, but they don’t stop working when the summer markets close. For the last four years Vancouver-Fairview has been home to the winter market at Nat Bailey stadium with nearly 100 vendors and 5,000 visitors each week.

The market supports local farmers and craftspeople, chefs, bakers and producers of specialty foods. Fishers from Blue Comet and Skipper Otto’s Community Supported Fishery run small-scale sustainable fishing operations. They ensure that many of us can bring fresh, locally sourced seafood, meat and produce home to our tables.

I always enjoy a visit to Fairview’s winter market. A couple of Saturdays ago I joined a crowd of people from throughout the Lower Mainland to enjoy the sun and talk with vendors while filling our bags with apples; squash; fresh eggs; root vegetables; and my own favourite, Sieglinde potatoes.

Farmers who can sustain their farms through local markets can keep transportation costs low while we help maintain a viable agriculture industry and a future for aspiring young farmers. In 2014 the market had almost $2.1 million in sales. Based on a UNBC formula, the Fairview winter market’s impact on the local economy exceeds $3 million, and 125,000 visitors come to the area every market season and also support neighbouring small businesses.

Engaging directly with those who work the land enhances our appreciation of their work, as well as of the foresight that brought B.C. our great legacy, the agricultural land reserve. It helps us understand the importance of land preservation and a vibrant farming community to food security, just as a healthy ocean ecosystem is critical to our fishery. Join us at the market.

STÓ:LŌ COMMUNITY FUTURES

J. Martin: “The rapid rise of Stó:lō businesses is nothing short of exponential.” That was from an

article in the Chilliwack Progress last October. This is a great source of pride in our community. Stó:lō Community Futures launched a new branding initiative last spring entitled Stó:lō Means Business, SMB, an initiative to make the Stó:lō territory a provincial hub for aboriginal business growth and excellence.

From restaurants to galleries, chiropractors to towing companies and commercial developments, there are 250 aboriginal businesses identified in the Stó:lō territory, and 56 percent of those are based in Chilliwack. Stó:lō Community Futures, or SCF, embraces and celebrates Stó:lō community cultural values and believes in creating and supporting entrepreneurial spirit in the Stó:lō and aboriginal communities.

Since SMB’s launch on April 9, 2014, Stó:lō Community Futures has formed a partnership with the province and currently is contemplating a comprehensive inventory and database of all aboriginal businesses within the Stó:lō traditional territory. This information is intended to serve as a marketing tool for local aboriginal businesses and will provide insights as to the size and growth of the local aboriginal business community.

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Late last fall SCF hosted an outstanding networking event called Stó:lō Business Match. A series of 20-minute appointments were made on line using a high-tech tool to

schedule meetings between Stó:lō entrepreneurs and business representatives. This was to explore the potential for partnerships and investment opportunities. It is estimated that millions of dollars of potential business relationships were discussed here.

I would like to thank Mike Watson of Stó:lō Community Futures and his team for their hard work providing business loans, resources, training and workshops. Also, to the 24 Stó:lō communities — I would ask the House to join me in congratulating them on continued economic growth and prosperity.

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WOMEN IN TRADES

K. Corrigan: Members of the official opposition women’s caucus were very pleased to meet last week with several women in the building trades who told us how they became or are apprenticing to become a cement mason, a sheet metal worker, an HVAC insulator and an iron worker. Their stories were varied, but the challenge is universal. How do we increase the number of women working in the construction trades from the shockingly low estimate of only 3 percent?

Construction has been called the last frontier of equity. At a time when there is agreement that we are underskilled in this province, there is an enormous opportunity for women seeking well-paid, fulfilling and secure employment. If we see a significant part of our future in the building of this province, good sense and a sense of justice would demand that we plan for appropriate representation of women and other equity groups.

There is a precedent. In the 1990s the equity provisions in training and hiring on the large construction project to build the Vancouver Island Highway were unique and stunningly successful. In one year of that project, 1998, 1/10 of total hours worked were by women, and more than two in ten hours were by equity groups, including those women.

The small, nascent group of women in the building trades are trying to find ways to increase their numbers through mentorship, education and political action. It seems odd to celebrate them as pioneers, but that’s what they are. They, and we, must fight stereotypes and discrimination and tear down barriers to women in the trades.

Far too few women are given the option to choose, often because they don’t even know that the option exists. To paraphrase Lorien Barlow, defying the odds of a desk job and preferring to pick up power tools and build bridges and skyscrapers instead, women in construction trades are daring the rest of us to confront gender stereotypes that are still holding women back.

CONFLICT RESOLUTION

AND MEDIATE B.C. SOCIETY

M. Bernier: In a perfect world you would hope it would never occur, but we all, at some point, experience conflict, whether at work, during labour disputes or in our family lives. How we deal with conflict is the important part, as it can be a destructive force in our lives if not managed appropriately.

Unfortunately, more often than not people resort to the courts to try and resolve a dispute. But that process is changing, and there are better options for the people in British Columbia.

We are very lucky to have a group of dedicated professionals in British Columbia who work hard on conflict resolution. The Mediate B.C. Society, a not-for-profit organization, works with professionally trained mediators around the province who offer options for people in conflict. In my riding I have a constituent, Wayne Plenert, who is an expert in mediation, and he also has a passion to see this option be more readily available for people around the province.

Last year mediation resolved issues for more than 80 percent of family disputes and 77 percent of workplace disputes. These were all cases that, without a mediation process and professionals guiding that process, could have ended up in the legal system instead, costing tens of thousands of dollars per case and tying up valuable and already oversubscribed court time.

Mediation is also shown to resolve disputes more quickly, months quicker, than our traditional systems and with, I would say, better results. When both groups can sit down together and work out a resolution and a solution with the help of a mediator, it saves money, can reduce stress between the groups and can ultimately end up with a better result for both parties rather than having a decision made by the courts.

Mediate B.C., with the help of my friend Wayne, conducts thousands of sessions per year here in British Columbia, and I want to thank them for all of their efforts in helping the citizens of this province.

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BAINS FAMILY FUNDRAISING

FOR VARIETY CLUB

S. Hammell: I’m pleased to stand in the House today to talk about the dedication and compassion that I’ve seen and experienced from many residents of Surrey, a place I’m delighted to call home.

In particular, I’d like to shine the light of appreciation on Avtar and Sheila Bains, who are small business owners, residents and dedicated volunteers in the community. A number of years ago the Bains family experienced a heartbreaking tragedy when their teenaged daughter Suneeta passed away at the age of 15 from cancer.

During her illness, Avtar and his daughter were sitting together watching the Variety children’s telethon on TV. That very evening, as he looked at his ailing daughter, he made her one promise: to do everything he could to support other children and families who were living with disabilities and illnesses.

Since their daughter’s passing, Avtar and Sheila have been dedicated to supporting children with special needs. As the owners of Ricky’s All Day Grill in Surrey city centre, Avtar and Sheila and their team have opened their doors and their hearts for the past nine years during the Variety Show of Hearts Telethon weekend. Proceeds from every meal sold on that weekend are donated to the Variety Club of B.C., and this provides help and hope to children living with special needs.

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Just a few weeks ago on Valentine’s weekend Avtar, Sheila and the team managed to raise the outstanding amount of $12,000-plus. Together, through their years of work with Variety, they have contributed over $55,000. This is a success that we celebrate as we realize that all it takes is one family with compassion and drive to be able to make a difference in the lives of others.

Thank you, Avtar and Sheila. Thanks from all of us.

Oral Questions

GOVERNMENT RESPONSE TO REVIEW

OF HEALTH MINISTRY INVESTIGATION

J. Horgan: Last October 3 Linda Kayfish and her husband, Doug, came to this Legislature and told a story of injustice. They told a story of those in power abusing those below them, and there was an appropriate response from all parties in this House and all people who observe government activities in British Columbia. The government, in their wisdom, appointed Marcia McNeil to investigate the abuse of power that happened to Linda Kayfish’s family.

Specifically, of course, we wanted to zero in on the death of Roderick MacIsaac, one of seven individuals who was mistreated and abused by those above them. The Premier said at that time that Ms. McNeil would get to the bottom of this tragedy. The two simple questions that Linda Kayfish had, “Who fired my brother, and why?” were, in everyone’s minds, the focus of what that investigation should uncover.

Unfortunately — and the Premier will know this, I’m hopeful — when Ms. McNeil reported days before Christmas, she said the following: “Two of the most difficult questions I considered during my review were who effectively made the dismissal decisions, and what factors were considered. Those questions remain unanswered.”

My question is to the Premier. You made a solemn commitment to the Kayfish family and to the people of British Columbia that your government would get to the bottom of this sad, sad affair and accountability would be the result. What are you going to do now?

Madame Speaker: Always through the Chair.

Hon. C. Clark: First, I would like to thank all the members in the House — including the Leader of the Opposition, who’s wearing a little bit of a pink tie today — and welcome everybody here who has been part of our anti-bullying activities. Ten thousand educators have been trained already in spotting bullying and dealing with it in schools — 10,000 of the 15,000 already. So I do want to thank everybody who has been a part of that, just to preface that, including the Leader of the Opposition.

With respect to the question, Ms. McNeil did do a review. It was a thorough review. We are accepting…. She pointed out some very, very serious concerns with what happened, and we are responding to all those concerns and recommendations that she made.

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We do want to make sure that members of the public service are treated fairly — they deserve to be treated fairly — and that they are treated with respect. That was the point of the review. Those are the answers that we got, and we’ll be acting on those.

Madame Speaker: The Leader of the Official Opposition on a supplemental.

J. Horgan: Again, there seems to be a bit of a disconnect between the words of the Premier and the actions of her government. Seven lives were disrupted, one tragically lost, because of an abuse of power by senior officials in the government of British Columbia — senior officials that report directly to the Premier.

Ms. McNeil said in her report: “No one has taken responsibility for making the effective recommendation to dismiss the employees. Instead, those most likely to have made the effective recommendation all pointed at someone else.” Now, how the Premier can take from this….

Two simple questions that Linda Kayfish had for the people of British Columbia and the government that should serve them: “Why was my brother fired?” and “Who did it?” Two very simple questions. Ms. McNeil said she could not answer that question — neither one of them.

The Premier appears to be satisfied with that. We on this side of the House are not. The Kayfishes are not. The health officials that were fired are not satisfied with the results of this recommendation. The opposition advised the government well into the fall that without appropriate powers, Ms. McNeil could not get to the bottom of this, as the Premier promised.

Again, my question is to her: if the Deputy Minister of Health at the time is alleging that the deputy to the Premier, Mr. Dyble, was fully briefed several times, as well as the head of the Public Service Agency, how is it that there was no paper trail?

This seems to be a common theme. Yesterday we asked the Minister of Transportation for minutes from 80 meetings that he held, and there’s not a scrap of paper.

Seven lives were disrupted. One life was lost. How is it possible that that’s acceptable to the Premier of British Columbia?

Hon. C. Clark: As I’ve said before in this House, what happened, what transpired, was not acceptable. That’s why the government has apologized more than once and very sincerely to the people who were harmed and whose lives were disrupted.

The work that we got from Ms. McNeil was very valuable. It is leading to changes in the civil service, the way

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that these kinds of things are managed, to ensure that these kinds of mistakes, these kinds of problems, these kinds of very serious disruptions of people’s lives don’t happen again. She set out that road map for us, she’s given us those recommendations as a result of the review that we requested, and we are taking those very seriously and acting on all of those recommendations.

Madame Speaker: The Leader of the Opposition on a further supplemental.

J. Horgan: Again, I appreciate that the Premier wants to fly by this, but this is profoundly important, particularly on Anti-Bullying Day. We have a vivid example of senior officials in government abusing their power to the detriment of those below them.

I heard on the steps of the Legislature today that we need to effect change, to change behaviour. If there’s no accountability in this instance, how can we effect the change in behaviour? If the Premier’s deputy was aware of this sordid affair and did nothing, then how are we going to change his behaviour? If the Deputy Minister of Health is responsible….? How are we going to change behaviour for those individuals?

This is a learning moment, and the learning moment is: Linda Kayfish came to this House seeking justice for her dead brother — two questions: “Why was my brother fired?” and “Who did it?” They remain unanswered. Will the Premier fulfil her commitment to Linda Kayfish and answer those two simple questions: who and why?

Hon. C. Clark: As I’ve said a number of times in this House, and as has the Minister of Health, the government made a mistake, a series of mistakes. The government has apologized for those mistakes very sincerely. Further than that, we ordered a review. The review has come back.

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The review has given us a set of recommendations to work from that will allow us to effect real change in the way that these kinds of processes will be managed in the future, to do everything that we can to guarantee that something like this could not and will not happen again.

It is change. It’s the change that Ms. McNeil identified needed to happen, and we are acting on it.

ADOPTION OF CHILDREN

IMPACTED BY DOMESTIC VIOLENCE CASE

D. Donaldson: On April 20, 2014, Angela Wilson was murdered at her home in Clearwater, leaving behind three young children. The children were reported to be in the home at the time. Accused in the murder is Angela’s estranged husband, who surrendered with the children after a 7½-hour standoff with the RCMP. A horrific situation.

Since that day her brother Frank Wilson and his wife, Leanne Bowcott, have been trying to adopt their niece and nephews. Ten months have passed, and the children are still in the temporary foster care of strangers, as directed by the Ministry of Children and Family Development — ten months.

Will the minister act today in the best interests of these children and commit that they will be placed with their family where they belong?

Hon. S. Cadieux: As the member states, this is a very tragic and horrific situation for the family, and I certainly cannot express the deep, deep condolences in a meaningful way towards the family for their incredible loss.

It is understandable that the family members would have questions. It is also understandable that they would be incredibly frustrated by the process. While I can’t — and the member will know this, as will all members of the House — speak to the specifics of any case, the number one priority of the ministry is always that the best interests of the children are met.

There are cases that are complex. There are situations where there are more than one extended family member who may be involved or where there may be court proceedings. All of these things take time to inform a best decision about a permanent arrangement for children. These are difficult decisions, but I have confidence that we have the right people gathering the information that is required to make this incredibly significant decision consistent with legislation.

Madame Speaker: The member for Stikine on a supplemental.

D. Donaldson: The Child, Family and Community Service Act says decisions relating to children should be made and implemented in a timely manner.

Frank and Leanne have done respite care for the ministry. They share the children’s aboriginal ancestry. The children know their aunt and uncle and have even spent time living with them in the past. Yet it took the ministry eight months just to

schedule a safe-home study, and the family is still waiting to be united.

These children have already suffered too much. It’s wrong for them to be further traumatized by keeping them from their family. The lack of urgency demonstrated by the ministry is really unfathomable and unacceptable.

To the Premier, will she do the right thing and direct her Minister of Children and Family Development to end the delays so this family can be reunited, and commit to an independent investigation about what went wrong and who is accountable so that this terrible injustice won’t happen again?

Hon. S. Cadieux: I am sure that I speak for every member of this House when I say that we all want to see permanency for children in care of the ministry

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as quickly as possible. That’s why we’re focusing on reducing the number of moves when the children are indeed in foster care and why we’re focusing on putting an increased emphasis on adoptions and all permanency options.

In carrying out our work, our legislation is clear. The paramount concern is the safety and well-being of the child. While there are other provisions and policy that support the decisions, that first concern is paramount. Everyone wants decision-making to happen as quickly as possible, myself included.

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Under the act, the director requires information, a great deal of information, to inform those decisions. Decisions, I will add once again, are made for a lifetime. Having all of the necessary information on where a child or children will live is extremely important, and in complex cases that may take time.

WAIT TIMES FOR COLON

CANCER SCREENING SERVICES

J. Darcy: British Columbians are being asked to pay more for medical services premiums, but many people are discovering that the services they need aren’t there for them when they need them.

Last October in this House we raised the case of Michael Goldman from Qualicum Beach. He had surgery for colon cancer in January 2011. A colonoscopy in June of 2013 showed that Michael had a 40 percent chance of recurrence of his cancer. According to the government’s own guidelines, Michael should have had a follow-up colonoscopy within six months. It has now been 20 months, and Michael Goldman has still not had the colonoscopy that he needs. And it’s been four months since we raised this issue in this House.

Can the minister explain to Michael Goldman, a high-risk patient at severe risk of recurrence of his cancer, why he’s had to wait 20 long and very worrying months for his follow-up treatment?

Hon. T. Lake: Thank you to the member for the question. I certainly have sympathy for anyone that’s waiting for treatment, especially when there’s a worrisome diagnosis involved.

I know the ministry and the health authorities are very concerned about wait-lists. Colonoscopy has been a challenge since we instituted the new FIT procedure to screen people for colon cancer. It is the right thing to do in terms of detecting cancers early. But what we’ve done is we’ve created a burden on the system that we need to correct, and we are working hard with our health authorities to do that.

I apologize for any patients that have had to wait longer than necessary. Having said that, all of the health authorities are working hard to reduce those wait-lists and make sure that people are seen in a timely fashion for their follow-up procedures.

S. Fraser: The government did announce an expanded screening program right before the election, but unfortunately, the implementation of this program has been terribly flawed. They simply didn’t create enough capacity to deliver the procedure to those that need it and those that need it most. So now Michael Goldman is caught in a crush of patients trying to access the colonoscopy.

Can the minister explain — a real explanation — as to why Michael has waited 20 months to get a colonoscopy?

Hon. T. Lake: As I mentioned earlier, it’s really critical that a screening program is in place so that any potential worrisome lesions are dealt with as quickly as possible. We know that a person with colorectal cancer has a 90 percent chance of being cured if the cancer is caught early enough.

Since the screening program has been put in place, 155,000 patients have been registered in the first year. Of those, 1,100 patients have been diagnosed with high-risk polyps, and nearly 100 patients have been diagnosed with cancer and are being treated. Without that screening program in place, those 100 people would not have been treated.

I can’t say that it has been smooth for every patient, and I accept that we need to do better. We will do better. All health authorities are working to do that.

Madame Speaker: The member for Alberni–Pacific Rim on a supplemental.

S. Fraser: The answer from the minister is not acceptable. No one is arguing that screening is a bad idea.

[1415]

Michael Goldman, in 2013, on his follow-up, was given a 40 percent chance of recurrence. It puts him at the highest risk you could possibly be. He already fought cancer in 2011. You can understand why Michael Goldman is so fed up.

When his follow-up procedure was 14 months overdue, he contacted the Parliamentary Secretary for Seniors, now the Minister of Social Development, for assistance. She told him he should, essentially, break out his Visa card and go through the private system. The minister’s failures here are putting lives at risk, lives like Michael’s. Again to the minister: when will Michael Goldman receive his colonoscopy?

Hon. T. Lake: Just to outline some of the initiatives that the health authorities are undergoing to reduce wait-lists as much as possible. IHA has hired additional staff, expanding their operating hours. They’ve committed over $2 million this year for construction and equipment of more endoscopy suites. Island Health has hired addi-

[ Page 6096 ]

tional nursing staff, increased hours for colonoscopies and hired a new gastroenterologist. Vancouver Coastal is looking at ways to reduce their backlog and wait-lists. Fraser Health has added colonoscopy times at a number of their sites.

If the member would like to meet with me over an individual case, I would be happy to sit down and do that with him.

IMPLEMENTATION OF

BUS SERVICE ON HIGHWAY 16

M. Karagianis: Two years ago the Missing Women Commission urged this government to immediately bring in better transportation options to prevent further murders and disappearances in northern communities along the Highway of Tears. So far the B.C. Liberal government has ignored that recommendation, but maybe today we have learned why.

This morning the Minister of Aboriginal Relations on radio was directly asked why the government doesn’t just run a bus from point A to point B. His answer, and this is a direct quote: “There hasn’t been anyone gone missing in some time.”

My question is to the Premier. Are the B.C. Liberals seriously waiting until another woman goes missing along this highway before they implement better options for transportation along this highway?

Hon. J. Rustad: Thank you to the member opposite for the question. I live on Highway 16. I live in this area. I represent a large distance of the highway. I work day to day with the communities, and I know how much the missing women and murdered women, the issues that have happened along here, have impacted the communities and families. This is a very serious issue, and it’s one that we also take very seriously.

We have been working very hard, particularly with the aboriginal leaders throughout that area, to try to improve the safety conditions. I think that many of the actions that have happened have made that highway much safer over the last 15 years or so. We will continue to look at ways to build and improve safety along that highway because it’s the right thing to do for the people that live throughout the Highway 16 corridor.

Madame Speaker: Esquimalt–Royal Roads on a supplemental.

M. Karagianis: Well, the minister hasn’t explained his remarks today on radio where he simply states: no bus from A to B because there hasn’t been anyone gone missing there in some time. I’m asking the Premier: is this now the B.C. Liberal policy with regard to this very dangerous highway, that we are waiting for more women to go missing or be murdered before any action is taken?

The Premier knows that right now women are hitchhiking on that road to do simple things like get their groceries or go to an appointment. Is this the new policy now? We’re waiting for one of them to go missing before we take any action and put safer transportation along this highway?

Hon. J. Rustad: Thank you to the member opposite, once again, for the question. The issue of murdered and missing women is very, very important. It’s critical, I think, for aboriginal and non-aboriginal people alike.

[1420]

Everybody needs to be able to feel safe within their communities and, really, throughout the area where they’re travelling. That’s why we have implemented a number of strategies along the highway, whether it is the health bus that is being put in place, which is significant for improving transportation options, or whether it is improved cell service.

Also, in particular, as I want to reiterate, working with the aboriginal leaders throughout that area and the strategies that they’ve implemented — the level of awareness, the types of programs that have been in place to really be able to support women and, particularly, aboriginal people throughout that area — have made a difference. It has made a huge difference.

The highway is much safer than it has been, particularly over the last 15 years. Like I said before, there are more things that we need to be looking at.

J. Rice: Clearly this minister doesn’t know the details of this file. We’ve lost Greyhound bus service in the last 15 years. We’ve gone from 22 trips between Prince Rupert and Prince George down to 15. The train service is practically obsolete now that the Port of Prince Rupert has expanded.

My question is for the Premier. Boy, she wouldn’t believe what her ministers have been up to while she’s been away. I want to remind the Premier that B.C. has the most unsolved cases of missing and murdered women in this country. More women have disappeared in British Columbia than any other province. It’s wrong to suggest we should wait for more women to go missing before we take action.

Again, to the Premier, will she commit today to bring in the bus service urged by the Missing Women Commission, yes or no?

Hon. T. Stone: Government remains committed to acting on the recommendations from the missing-women report with respect to identifying safer transportation options for this corridor. This is why, last summer, staff from the Ministry of Transportation met with over 80 First Nations and municipal leaders — and other organizations, frankly — up and down that corridor. Very good discussion was had in those meetings. Lots of ideas

[ Page 6097 ]

were put on the table, and a number of those ideas have been followed through.

We have established a web portal, which makes it much easier for people through this corridor to access all of the existing resources that are available to them. We also have established a strategy that provides funding to First Nations so that there can be increased training for driver education, safe driver and driving licence programs for First Nations.

As the Minister of Aboriginal Reconciliation mentioned previously today, cell coverage has been consistently improved through this region. The government of British Columbia provides about $1.5 million through B.C. Transit to provide local transit options. There’s the Northern Health bus. So there is a wide range of services in place today.

Can we do more? We’re always looking at additional strategies, additional services that can be provided to further enhance safety throughout this corridor.

Madame Speaker: The member for North Coast on a supplemental.

GOVERNMENT ACTION ON SAFE

TRANSPORTATION ON HIGHWAY 16

J. Rice: The Missing Women Commission urged this government to bring in safe, affordable transportation for northern communities so that women wouldn’t be forced to hitchhike to buy groceries or go to appointments. Instead, this government put together a website, or the web portal the minister just spoke of, that you’d never find unless you knew where to look.

If you did find it, you know what’s on there? A link to limousine companies. Does the minister really think that a website listing limousines is going to be of any use to the young women hitching on Highway 16?

Hon. T. Stone: What’s, I think, really important here is identifying practical solutions — solutions that, when implemented, will actually make a difference.

That is why on the question of a shuttle bus type of service, I think it’s important to acknowledge — and we certainly heard this in many of the discussions that were had when we were up there last summer — that the distance from Prince Rupert to Prince George is 718 kilometres. That’s an eight-hour drive in good driving conditions. Putting a shuttle bus on that length of highway with that amount of hours of driving was not identified as a practical solution by the people who live up there.

[1425]

What is practical is making strategic investments to enable First Nations to educate their own from a driver licensing perspective and to enhance transit services that are there. The web portal is not a throwaway initiative. It provides links to a broad range of services that are currently available. We will continue to assess other options to improve the safety through this corridor.

CONFLICT-OF-INTEREST INQUIRY

REGARDING ENERGY MINISTER ROLE

IN HUNTING POLICY ISSUES

K. Conroy: The Minister of Energy and Mines told the media that while he is owed a shareholder loan by Height of the Rockies Adventure Company, and while his brother is a shareholder of the company, he did not need to recuse himself from cabinet discussions about wildlife allocation. The minister said the Conflict of Interest Commissioner told him he did not need to recuse himself.

My question is to the Premier. The minister is a lawyer. He understands the law. If the Conflict of Interest Commissioner said the minister was free to involve himself in these decisions, why is he now asking the commissioner for a written opinion?

Hon. B. Bennett: I think everyone in this House understands how important it is to the public that they know that the people they elect are driven by what’s best for them — for the public, for the taxpayers, for the voters — and that the people who are elected are not driven by financial or pecuniary or business motives.

I have been proud to represent the people of Kootenay East for 14 years. A lot of that representation has included issues around hunting and fishing and guiding and all the things that the hon. member who just asked the question is involved with as an MLA from the Kootenays.

I did ask the Conflict of Interest Commissioner late last week to provide an opinion in writing so that we could put this issue to rest one way or the other, and the conflict commissioner has told me that he’ll issue that opinion, he hopes, within the next two weeks.

[End of question period.]

Point of Privilege

(Reservation of Right)

Hon. Michelle Stilwell: I’d like to reserve my right on a point of privilege based on the comments from the member for Alberni–Pacific Rim.

Madame Speaker: Thank you, Member.

Hon. M. de Jong: I rise to seek leave to move a motion activating the Select Standing Committee on Health.

Leave granted.

[ Page 6098 ]

Motions Without Notice

APPOINTMENT OF HEALTH COMMITTEE

Hon. M. de Jong: Again, the text of the motion was provided to the Opposition House Leader and all, I think, independent members.

I move the motion activating the Select Standing Committee on Health. By leave, I move that now.

[That the Select Standing Committee on Health be empowered to:

1) Consider the conclusions contained in the Interim Report, October 2012, of the Select Standing Committee on Health of the 39th Parliament; as such, the Interim Report of the Select Standing Committee on Health, and any submissions and evidence received during the 39th Parliament, are referred to the Committee;

2) Outline potential alternative strategies to mitigate the impact of the significant cost drivers identified in the Report on the sustainability and improvement of the provincial health care system;

3) Identify current public levels of acceptance toward the potential alternative strategies; and,

4) Consider health capital funding options.

In addition to the powers previously conferred upon the Select Standing Committee on Health, the Committee shall be empowered:

a) to appoint of their number one or more subcommittees and to refer to such subcommittees any of the matters referred to the Committee;

b) to sit during a period in which the House is adjourned, during the recess after prorogation until the next following Session and during any sitting of the House;

c) to conduct consultations by any means the Committee considers appropriate;

d) to adjourn from place to place as may be convenient; and

e) to retain such personnel as required to assist the Committee;

and shall report to the House as soon as possible, or following any adjournment or at the next following Session, as the case may be; to deposit the original of its reports with the Clerk of the Legislative Assembly during a period of adjournment and upon resumption of the sittings of the House, the Chair shall present all reports to the Legislative Assembly.]

Motion approved.

Orders of the Day

Hon. M. de Jong: Continued debate on the budget.

Budget Debate

(continued)

S. Chandra Herbert: It’s good to see so many taking their time to leave this chamber because they want to hear my remarks.

They want to hear my concern about this budget. They want to hear that my constituents are concerned that the government would find it possible to give $230 million to the richest 2 percent while increasing fees for them — why this government would decide that supporting the super rich is a better priority than making sure that they can afford child care, that they can afford university, that they can afford food, that they can afford their MSP, that they can afford their hydro, that they can afford their rent. None of that was a priority. The priority was $230 million to the top 2 percent of income earners in this province.

[1430]

[R. Chouhan in the chair.]

Before I was interrupted yesterday, when speaking to the budget, I was speaking about Gordon Neighbourhood House, food security and what they’re doing to try to build a resilient community where the inequality divide isn’t getting bigger but where people are getting closer. I take inspiration from what they try to do in their organization, in terms of how I think we as legislators need to be working to improve our province.

They’re members of an organization called the Metro Vancouver Alliance, another organization with many members in my constituency. Now, the members of Metro Vancouver Alliance have been putting forward a number of suggestions to make life more affordable for people, to make life better for people, to give people a greater chance to succeed.

Indeed, they’ve called for things like living wages, things that we should all consider, because we don’t believe — I don’t believe, anyways — that you should be working full-time and still stuck in poverty. Unfortunately, that’s the case for too many British Columbians.

They work two, sometimes three, jobs, and they still find it difficult to be able to afford food. That’s because wages have stagnated in this province. Indeed, we’ve had that continue for most of the term of this government, if not longer. Wages have not been increasing at the rate that the costs of government, that the costs of society, have been.

That’s a challenge. It’s not all this government’s fault. No, I don’t think it would be fair to say the Liberals are responsible for all the problems that people are facing. Overall, we as a country have this challenge. Our country of Canada has this challenge, and we’ve been seeing it across the western world. But just because it’s a problem faced by many doesn’t mean it’s a problem that you should ignore, and this government has been ignoring this problem.

I think about a poverty reduction strategy, something pretty much every government in this country has agreed they need to take action on, except for this government. The Liberals in B.C. do not think a poverty reduction strategy is necessary, despite B.C. having the worst child poverty rate in this country for over a decade.

Well, I don’t know about you, but it doesn’t seem to be very balanced leadership to be leaving people in poverty, to be leaving children to struggle — not having the full belly they need to learn in schools, not being able to get the best chance at success.

[ Page 6099 ]

Other organizations I speak to in my community who give me their concerns to bring forward — parent advisory councils. We have a number at King George, Lord Roberts, Lord Roberts Annex. One of the things they’ve identified to me is that challenge as well — the challenge of poverty in their own schools; the challenge of always trying to fundraise just to be able to provide the basics for those kids.

Now they’re working on trying to fundraise for playgrounds. Thankfully, we’ve been able to do okay in getting money to repair playgrounds in our neighbourhood for kids to play on. But it just shows to me that they’re looking to fundraise — and they’re being asked to fundraise — in just about every way so that they can fund the basics of education.

They’ve also raised with me concerns about students not being able to be assessed for the challenges that they face. Maybe it’s a learning difficulty, a speech issue, a mental health issue or another challenge that they may have. They’re stuck waiting and waiting, falling further and further behind in their classes. It’s also meaning the teacher has to focus more attention there and can’t focus on the other students.

They all want that one student to achieve success who’s struggling. They call on me, and they call on us, to provide better support for special education teachers, to make sure that kids do get diagnosed when they need help, do get the support so that they can succeed. Unfortunately, because of a partisan divide, because of a focused battle with the Premier and teachers, those are the students that get lost in the struggle. Those are the students that don’t get to achieve the success they so deserve.

That lack of balance means that long term, our economy will struggle as well. Long term, we will not have the students who are able to achieve their full success, and that holds us all back.

The parent advisory committees — I just can’t say enough how important they are for those schools, for those connections to the community. I want to thank them, and I’ll continue to work for them.

It’s not just parent advisory committees. It’s also adult learners who’ve been approaching me — approaching me about this government’s decision to increase fees for adult basic education, to make it so that you have to pay in order to get your Dogwood.

That, to me, for many recent immigrants who’ve come to my community, is backwards. We should be embracing these folks, making sure they can get the education, not throwing up more barriers, not making it more difficult for them to achieve the success that they, too, deserve in our province. But the government’s moves recently to restrict adult basic education, to my constituents and indeed to adults all across this province, are throwing more barriers in the way of success.

[1435]

Again, you think you’re saving some money today, but you’re costing us way more — way more in those people’s lives. They’re taking on greater debts themselves. But our whole economy…. Those people are not able to give their all when they’re struggling to even just get the basic credentials so that they can get the skills they need to achieve success and to do the jobs that need their support. I’ll continue to work for those folks as well.

We have some interesting organizations in the West End–Coal Harbour. We’ve got a group called the St. Paul’s advocacy centre. They work with some of the most marginalized — folks that are living on the street — trying to support them to get off the street, into housing when that’s available and trying to help folks get into things like detox, addiction support, mental health support. They’re helping seniors deal with issues with MSP and in many other ways.

You know what I heard from them when I met with them recently? When they call for support to this government, when they call for support for clients that are struggling, they get put on hold for 20 minutes, half an hour, 45 minutes, an hour, and they don’t get through.

The clients often get frustrated, especially when they haven’t had a full belly. They haven’t had a meal because they’re struggling in poverty on the streets. Maybe they’re struggling with mental illness. Maybe they’re struggling with addiction. They leave, and those people can’t get help. That’s a waste of time for the society. It’s a waste of time for that person, and it’s a lost opportunity to change a life.

This government needs to put a greater priority on making sure that those people get the help they need, when they need it, so that they can turn their lives around. We are all one human family. We need to start acting like it, rather than just mouthing platitudes while leaving those struggling to struggle and leaving us all to struggle with them.

Indeed, when one person struggles, I believe we all struggle. We cannot all achieve our great success together if we’re leaving people in the pit of despair, in the pit of anguish, believing that nobody cares about them.

St. Paul’s advocacy we’re lucky to have. But they, too, can’t believe that there’s not a greater priority put on ending homelessness, on ending poverty. We live in a wealthy society. We should start acting like it. Wealth for all, not just wealth for the few.

I had the opportunity on Friday to meet with the seniors planning table. It’s an organization of seniors from my community and from all walks of life who unite. They come together to solve problems. They come together to find solutions. What did I hear there? I heard great concern.

I heard great concern about this government’s plan to sell off affordable housing, great concern that the Nicholson Tower in my community is being put on sale, potentially sold. The government won’t tell us. They won’t

[ Page 6100 ]

answer one question we’ve asked about this sale of public housing — not one — and we’ve tried.

They’re concerned that the deal to sell, in the documents, show that up to 50 percent of the units could go market rental. Now, these are housing units that were paid for by taxpayers, by citizens, to provide for low-income seniors and later on for folks living with disabilities.

The plan so far, the only plan we’ve been able to see, because we managed to pull it off a government website before it disappeared, showed that the government’s plan for this housing is that potentially 50 percent of it could go to folks earning between $50,000 and $80,000 now — not the low-income senior, not the person living with a disability struggling without an income, but folks that are definitely making more than the average.

Those folks need housing too, absolutely. It’s a challenge. It’s a challenge in one of the most unaffordable places in the world for housing. But I don’t think anybody would think that we should be making it harder for low-income people to get housing in this sale. Yet that, as far as we’ve been able to tell, is what the case will be, with some non-profit housing providers telling us that in order to make that building work after the government sells it off and pulls the money out of it, they would have to raise rents 40 percent.

How does that work? How does that lead to greater affordability? How does that lead to greater social cohesion? It doesn’t. It leads to a further divide. They had a lot of concerns at that table. Now, not all are united around what vision should occur, but that was key.

Another concern I heard, that I’d hoped to see addressed in this budget, is home care for seniors. Many of my constituents are seniors. They’re elderly. They’re challenged, as their bodies don’t quite perform the way they’re used to.

[1440]

In fact, I spoke with one yesterday. She told me that for her, she’s had her home care support cut off. She’s not been able to do laundry because she falls down. When she fell down last time, she ended up in hospital. Well, the government has pulled that away from her. She doesn’t have the support now in order to do her laundry, in order to wash her clothes, in order to wash her floor, in order to do those basic things.

She lives alone. She lives alone and has been provided that assistance, because our society at one point thought that was important. Now that’s been pulled away from her. She doesn’t know what to do.

Last week I talked to a veteran who fought for the country. He was sitting in the mall, telling me that he, too, has had his support pulled away from him. He, too, doesn’t know what to do. He said to me: “I want to smell good. I want to be able to go out in polite society smelling good. In order to do that, I need to wash my clothes. I can’t do that.” He told me: “I can’t do that because my body does not allow me to do that. I can’t do that because I risk hurting myself and ending up in long-term care or an emergency room.”

He’s tried, but he lives alone. He doesn’t have a big support system. The program that used to be provided by government, because we, as a society, thought it was important to treat our elderly with respect…. It seems to not think that’s important any longer.

That’s just not correct. That’s just not right. That’s not how a society should be treating somebody like that. But that’s what they tell me, and that’s what I see. We appeal to the government for assistance, but we’re not getting anything back.

Budgets should be about priorities. Priorities should be about ensuring that we achieve success together, not leaving people behind.

I think about the West End Business Improvement Association, a good organization that works to improve the business climate in our community. They work to get more people coming to the West End. They’ve done lots of exciting things. I love going out to their meetings because they are optimistic people.

When I get out and talk to the individual business owners, though, they tell me that it is hard. Rents are high, and they’re finding more and more of their customers, the people in our neighbourhood, the residents of our neighbourhood, aren’t able to make the big purchases that they used to anymore. They’re finding that their amount of discretionary income is less. Again, we see that’s a challenge, as we discussed earlier. They just aren’t getting the high-rollers, the folks able to splurge in quite the same way.

Now, there’s a plus. We’re starting to see American tourists come back, and that certainly will help the neighbourhood. We’re starting to see the tourism economy rise again after its disastrous fall these last couple of years. That is a very encouraging thing.

The Speaker will know that I championed and I called for a return of industry leadership to the tourism marketer. Tourism B.C. was what it was before the government pulled it apart. Now we have Destination B.C. So I’m encouraged that we’re going to start to see the growth of the tourism economy, and much faster than we have.

But, again, we’ve also lost the Vancouver Coast Mountain Tourism Association, which was one of the lead agencies arguing for increased investment in tourism marketing so we can get the people here. They can stay here, invest their money, come again and again and potentially bring business opportunities.

While I’m happy Destination B.C. is, of course, operating now and working to bring the people in, it doesn’t change overnight. I thank the West End Business Improvement Association for doing everything they can to bring more people to our neighbourhood to make sure they get the success they need. It’s a pleasure and an honour to work with them.

One organization that also works for our commun-

[ Page 6101 ]

ity is St. Paul’s Hospital Foundation. They work to raise money for St. Paul’s, a hospital that serves the province, serves my constituents, serves Vancouver–False Creek and serves the city of Vancouver. Indeed, over 40 percent of people that use that hospital don’t live in Vancouver. They get support. They come in because of the world-leading programs they have at St. Paul’s.

In this budget I was excited. You know why I was excited? This government promised. They stood in my constituency in 2012. They announced that finally — finally — they had $500 million in the budget. They’re going to invest in St. Paul’s. We’re going to do it now.

The Premier was smiling. The Minister of Finance was there. It was an exciting day. They said: “We’re moving.”

We were supposed to be bringing down the old building, putting up the new, renovating, going through, making it earthquake-safe because that building will collapse if there is an earthquake. We were going to make sure the people could be in single rooms so that they weren’t exposed to disease from having multiple people in the same room. We were on the way.

[1445]

But then 2013, no, there was not $500 million in the budget. In 2014, no, there was not $500 million in the budget. In 2015, the same thing.

This government has spent more on promotional signs outside of the hospital than they have spent on actual renewal of the hospital. That’s this government’s record. They say they’re going to do something, but they don’t deliver.

That hospital needs an investment now. We’ve got unity in our community about this. Vancouver Coastal Health has said it’s their top priority. The city of Vancouver has said it’s their top priority. The unions, the businesses, the citizens have said it’s their top priority. But this government, after this election, apparently can’t even remember it exists, can’t even remember what they said, what they promised.

St. Paul’s Hospital is vital. The B.C. Business Council recently has been speaking about how investing in St. Paul’s Hospital would be the right thing to do, because they, too, see it’s a health care priority, and with low interest rates, it would make a big difference. It would lead to more construction jobs. It would lead to efficiencies in the hospital, saving money. It would lead to greater health outcomes.

But no, there’s no timeline. There’s no plan. There’s nothing. This is this government’s record when it comes to St. Paul’s Hospital. In fact, the language that they use is the same language they’ve been using for years and years and years. “It’s a complicated project,” they say. Well, duh. “It’s a hospital; it takes time. It’s an old building,” they say. Well again, I think we knew that. That’s why it needs to be renewed. That’s why it needs to be revitalized.

I don’t think it is responsible government to look at a hospital like that, make a promise and then vanish and not follow through. We need that hospital renewed now.

I thank the St. Paul’s Hospital Foundation for doing what they can to raise money for renewal, to raise money to help the hospital now. But it’s hard. It’s got to be hard for them, because this government says one thing, does another. Funders, I’m sure, must be questioning: will we ever see renewal?

Well, I’m a glass-half-full kind of guy, and we will see renewal. We will see renewal one day. I will keep working to see that it comes about sooner than later. It should happen before this next election, if the government’s word is worth anything, even half of something. They might actually finally follow through.

But maybe we’ll see, right before the next election, the Premier show up again and make another promise, spend more money on a sign saying that something’s coming, with no actual plan to follow through. I hope not, because our case is just, and our case is smart. It should happen because it’s the right thing to do.

We have another organization in our community, the Stanley Park Ecology Society. They do incredible work in Stanley Park and across the region to support efforts to protect species at risk, to improve water quality, to improve air quality, to improve people’s understanding of nature and their connection to nature.

When I speak with them, I think about Stanley Park. It’s a beautiful park, an incredible park. What is affecting Stanley Park is indeed affecting many parks, many natural regions and wild places in this province. One of the big effects that we’ve been challenged with, of course, is climate change.

While there’s some small talk about climate change in this budget, there’s no plan to get us to actually drastically reduce our carbon emissions. There needs to be. And it can make us money. It can make us an economic powerhouse if we really cared about shifting off of fossil fuels and shifting towards an economy of renewable energy, of technology that can better bring the pollution down, increase resilience, increase efficiency, increase jobs.

When I talk to builders in my community and across this province, they tell me that we could be building things so much more efficiently. We could be investing in helping people upgrade their homes now so they’re no longer having to waste energy. That’s one of the challenges that constituents bring me.

They show me their power bill. They show me all their bills. If they are a senior, quite often they’re on a fixed income. They may receive SAFER, the shelter assistance funding, but their power bill keeps going up. With this government’s leadership, so-called, of B.C. Hydro, we’re seeing power bills shoot through the roof.

[1450]

But they can’t do anything about it. They’ve got a single-pane window. They put up the plastic. They try anything they can do to save money, but without full building envelope repairs, they can’t save that money they need.

[ Page 6102 ]

While I am happy with some things in this budget, including the increase in support for post-production, which we’ve been calling for and which we’ve supported — as well as greater support, which we didn’t see, for Creative B.C. — this budget has not worked in the best interests of my constituents. It has not created a great hope for British Columbians. It’s created a great gulf. It’s continuing to support a divide between those with the very most and the rest of us. So no, I will not be supporting this budget.

While we’ve put forward ideas to improve it, when we’ve put forward things that we think would make a difference in this province, this government decides that might makes right. They do not support collaboration. They do not support listening to those who might be different. They call them names, and I think that’s unfortunate because we have so much we can give each other.

We have so much that we can learn from each and every member of this House. We may not always agree, but we get more done that way. And you know, listening to people in my community, I get more done that way — collaborating, working together. I wish we saw that kind of spirit in this House more often. It starts from the leadership. It starts from the Premier.

This budget was not about collaboration or leadership. It was about continuing division, and that’s just not a good thing for British Columbia. That leaves us all weaker rather than more resilient. With the great hope and excitement and optimism that I see in this province, that I see in our people, that I see is possible, we can do so much more. I hope that this government will eventually listen, will eventually learn to respect all, learn from all, work with all. That’s how we achieve true success.

G. Kyllo: It is with great pleasure that I rise in the chamber and respond to our balanced budget 2015, our government’s fiscal plan that was presented in this House last Tuesday and our third consecutive balanced budget.

Before responding directly to Budget 2015, I’d like to take the opportunity to extend my sincere appreciation to my family and a number of individuals that have been of great assistance to me this past year, as well as sharing with this House some of the things that make the Shuswap such an amazing part of this province.

First, and most importantly, I wish to thank my lovely wife of 26 years, Georgina, my sweetheart, for all of her love, dedication and support. I’d also like to thank my beautiful, kind and caring girls, Sarah, Brittany, Angela and Samantha. And yes, I’ll mention my beautiful granddaughter, Kylie, who turned one year old just last week.

My family keeps growing. With daughters Sarah and Brittany expecting in March and May, my wife, Georgina, and I are truly blessed and find comfort in knowing that we are doing our part to help to grow B.C.’s population. Fertility is proving not only to be an important attribute of the agriculture sector.

A very special thank-you must also go to Brian Cowan, president of the Shuswap Liberal Riding Association. Brian is truly the hardest-working riding association president in B.C., who, along with an equally talented team of hard-working volunteers, continues to grow our membership and engage with the local community.

I’d like to give a special thank-you to Holly Cowan, my constituency assistant, for all of her diligent work in keeping me informed of the issues and concerns of the residents of the Shuswap. Holly is truly amazing, and I’m so fortunate to have her managing my constituency office in Salmon Arm. A recent addition to the team, Cheryl Leite, has been of great help as well.

I’d also like to thank all of the staff here in Victoria for all their hard work and dedication in assisting me and all the other members of government and caucus. My legislative assistant, Kristen Blake, has proven invaluable, and I want to express to her my sincere appreciation. I’d also like to welcome Kelly Twa, legislative assistant, to our team.

Lastly, I’d like to provide a special thank-you to the residents of the Shuswap for providing me the incredible opportunity to represent them in Victoria. I’m truly honoured to be the Member of the Legislative Assembly for Shuswap.

The Shuswap region is truly the most beautiful, scenic and diverse region of our province, and I’m fortunate to have made the Shuswap my home for going on close to 40 years. The Shuswap region is located at the north end of the Okanagan Valley, between the cities of Kamloops on the west and Revelstoke to the east.

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The Shuswap is comprised of the communities of Armstrong, Spallumcheen, Enderby, Grindrod, Sicamous, Malakwa, Canoe, Salmon Arm, Notch Hill, Sorrento, Blind Bay, Falkland, Scotch Creek, Anglemont and Seymour Arm. The Shuswap lakes are the epicentre of the Shuswap and truly offer the best boating in western Canada. The community of Sicamous, located at the southern end of Shuswap Lake on the Sicamous Narrows, has the distinction of being the houseboat capital of Canada.

A close friend and former president of Tourism Shuswap, Duncan Myers, once coined the slogan: “Where is it written that paradise has to be tropical?” I must wholeheartedly agree. With countless lakes, rivers and streams, snow-capped mountains and lush, fertile valleys, the Shuswap truly is paradise.

Outdoor adventure opportunities are seemingly limitless, including hiking, mountain biking, horseback riding, houseboating, water-skiing, wakeboarding, canoeing, kayaking, world-class fishing, cross-country skiing, cat-skiing and some of the best snowmobiling in North America. With snowmobiling possible well into May, it’s actually possible to go snowmobiling in the morning and water-skiing in the afternoon. There are few places on the

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planet that offer that type of an experience.

I could go on at great length about the many amazing attributes of the Shuswap. However, I truly believe that the Shuswap’s biggest asset is our caring residents, for it is our families, friends, neighbours, co-workers, employers and the seemingly limitless number of volunteers that truly make the Shuswap such an amazing place to live, work and play.

The Shuswap abounds with community and not-for-profit organizations that work tirelessly for the benefit of the local communities and our residents. In keeping with the diversification of the provincial economy, the economy of the Shuswap, although largely tourism-based, is benefiting from the diversification of a growing manufacturing sector.

Companies such as Valid Manufacturing, Rapid-Span, ADAM Integrated, Sawmill Equipment Company, Fink Machine and TA Structures call Shuswap their home, designing, building and producing world-class products.

The Shuswap also has a robust agricultural sector and is home to a large number of successful agricultural businesses, like D Dutchmen Dairy, located in Sicamous; Farmcrest Foods, an egg and poultry producer located in Salmon Arm; along with B.C.’s only federally regulated abattoir, the Blue Goose Cattle Company, located in Grindrod. They all make Shuswap their home.

Forestry also plays a significant role in the local economy. Companies like Gorman Bros., North Enderby Timber, and Tolko continue to make investments to maintain a healthy forest sector.

The Shuswap is continuing to grow and diversify its economy. We are so very fortunate to have such a diverse group of business owners and local entrepreneurs that continue to make investments in our local communities.

Now on to the business at hand. First, I want to commend our Premier and the Minister of Finance for their leadership and their unwavering commitment to ensure British Columbia has a third consecutive balanced budget. You’ve heard it before, but I’ll say it again: the rest of Canada indeed looks to B.C. with envy as we unveil balanced budget 2015.

As Parliamentary Secretary for the Jobs Plan to the Minister of Jobs, Tourism and Skills Training, I hear firsthand from business owners and employees alike that they fully support our government’s approach to attracting investment, growing the economy and supporting job creation. I take great pride in the B.C. jobs plan, because the jobs plan is working. B.C.’s economy is growing and adding jobs.

Our economic success is not measured on a month-to-month basis but in terms of results over time. Since 2011, job numbers, exports and economic activity have increased, and we’ve been successful in attracting new investment to our great province.

The B.C. jobs plan is helping to create a competitive, diversified, export-oriented economy that supports families. Since 2001, total employment in the province has increased by 20 percent, adding more than 388,000 new jobs. Since the launch of the B.C. jobs plan in 2011, the province has added more than 50,000 jobs and is consistently among the three provinces with the lowest unemployment numbers.

The provincial economy, as measured by gross domestic product, increased by $7.2 billion, or almost 4 percent. It is $18 billion higher than it was in 2009. B.C. consistently ranks among the top three provinces in business confidence, and since 2009, B.C. exports have increased by more than 32 percent.

I own a manufacturing company, and I do have an up-close-and-personal perspective of the manufacturing sector in our province.

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In short, the B.C. jobs plan has made an extremely important impact on the manufacturing sector, ensuring one of the lowest tax rates among G7 countries, streamlining regulations and business approval processes.

We’ve doubled B.C.’s international presence since 2011 to consist of 11 offices with 64 trade investment representatives connecting B.C. companies with international markets.

We’ve also launched the B.C.’s skills-for-jobs blueprint to ensure a skilled workforce to support B.C. manufacturers. We’ve committed $5 million over five years to unify and grow B.C.’s aerospace industry, as well as supporting B.C.’s shipbuilding and repair companies and winning $8 billion in federal contracts, which has revitalized B.C.’s marine industry, creating jobs.

Manufacturing in B.C. is a story of leadership in competitiveness, growth and adopting new technologies. The B.C. jobs plan helps support B.C. manufacturers by continuing to provide this very leadership. Manufacturing plays a vital role in all key economic sectors, from primary resources such as lumber, metal and energy, to high technology like aerospace and electronics. It is changing the way we make things in ways that are attracting attention around the globe. Manufacturing is also diversifying the B.C. economy and laying the foundation for high-paying job opportunities for future generations.

Early on this government identified China as a potential enormous customer for B.C.-made products, and look what has been accomplished. In 2001 only 2.6 percent of goods manufactured in B.C. were destined for China. Fast-forward to today, as exports to China now account for 20 percent of B.C.’s manufacturing exports.

Through the work of government and industry, exports to China have increased by an average of 24 percent per year since 2002. B.C. companies have great potential to further increase trade in China, taking advantage of China’s high demand for natural resources and rapid growth in knowledge-based industries, international education, transportation and infrastructure, as well as agri-foods.

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My company in the Shuswap is a small business. Under the B.C. jobs plan, hurdles have been removed, and it is now easier for small businesses to succeed. For example, there is now the mobile business licence program. It has been rolled out in 69 communities, which means more businesses are able to operate across local government jurisdictions with a single licence.

My beautiful riding of Shuswap is heavily dependent on tourism from May through October of each year, and we welcome each visitor with open arms. In speaking to many tourism operators in the Shuswap over the past few months, a significant number are reporting large increases in tourism numbers this past year, and they’re looking for huge increases this next season as well.

New direct flights connecting B.C. to key markets, including Munich, Osaka and Tokyo, and Vancouver’s direct connections with five major cities in China are contributing to recent increases in the number of Chinese visitors.

To illustrate tourism’s importance to B.C.’s economy, more than $7 billion in revenue was generated by tourism last year alone, employing close to 130,000 people in every corner of this province.

As we know, forestry remains at the forefront of our provincial economy. Our competitive advantages over other jurisdictions include our skilled labour force, our proximity to Asia and having some the most efficient mills in the world. My riding of Shuswap has a robust forest sector which is seeing continued investment because forest companies see a very promising future in B.C.

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One of those companies is Canoe Forest Products in Salmon Arm, now a part of Gorman Brothers. It is investing over $14 million on a new lathe line that will be fully operational by May of this year. Canoe Forest Products is showing confidence in the Shuswap region and in British Columbia. This is a great sign for the residents of Salmon Arm and area. They’re a great community business that has been around a long time, employing 225 people and paying great wages and providing great benefits to the folks from the Shuswap area.

But it’s not just in my riding that forestry is enjoying solid growth. B.C.’s major forest companies are among the largest in the world and continue to expand, creating jobs throughout the province. Over the past several years the B.C. government and forest companies have worked hard to find new customers for B.C. products, especially in Asia, and their work is paying off.

Since 2003 we’ve seen a 3,000 percent increase in the value of B.C. softwood lumber exports to China. Not only is this a lucrative, previously untapped source of revenue; it leaves B.C. less reliant on marketing conditions in the U.S., which remains our largest customer.

Under a new government and the B.C. jobs plan, we’re working just as hard to repeat that kind of success in India, another huge, largely untapped market for wood-frame construction from B.C. softwood.

Budget 2015 supports the government’s skills-for-jobs blueprint, our plan for re-engineering education and training. Of the estimated 1 million job openings expected by 2022, 43 percent will require trades or technical training. To make sure today’s young people are career-ready, B.C.’s skills-for-jobs blueprint helps align training and education with in-demand jobs. It provides a seamless path from school to the workplace, matching training with jobs in high demand, jobs that require specialized skills that pay well.

The blueprint is based on giving young people a head start with hands-on learning in schools, shifting education and training to better match jobs that are in demand and strengthening the partnership with industry and labour to deliver training and apprenticeships.

There are a number of tax credit extensions to this budget to support the skills-for-jobs blueprint. First, we are helping employers and apprentices by extending the training tax credits to the end of 2017. This year’s budget will also extend the credit that provides an additional 50 percent for First Nations and people with disabilities, along with their employers.

Secondly, Budget 2015 expands the digital animation or visual effects tax credit to include post-production film activities. This, in addition to the broader credits already available, will help to keep our film sector healthy.

Budget 2015 also extends the interactive digital media tax credit to 2018 to continue offsetting the costs of developing video games and other digital media products.

Finally, this budget provides a one-year increase of $3 million to the small business venture capital tax program. This program allows for up to $10 million in additional equity financing for qualifying new businesses in 2015.

Now I’d like to talk about transportation in and around the Shuswap riding. I’m proud that our government has committed $650 million towards upgrading the Trans-Canada Highway to four lanes from Kamloops east to the Alberta border, a project that is very important to the people of the Shuswap region. The Trans-Canada — or Highway 1, as it is known — runs through my rid-

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ing, and these improvements — some already completed, with others underway or at the design stage — will make travelling Highway 1 much safer.

In my riding construction on the Malakwa bridge and four-laning east of Sicamous started last fall. The design work has been completed for a new bridge at north fork and an extended four-laning where Highway 1 crosses the Perry River, also located just east of Sicamous.

Interjections.

Deputy Speaker: Members. Members.

G. Kyllo: Design work is now underway for replacement of the Salmon River bridge in Salmon Arm — again, along with extended four-laning through that region.

Interjections.

Deputy Speaker: Members will come to order, please. One speech at a time. Thank you.

G. Kyllo: These projects and many others still to come will ensure a safer Highway 1 for Shuswap residents and visitors alike.

Interjections.

Deputy Speaker: Members.

G. Kyllo: I can happily say there are similar highway improvement projects all around our province committed in this budget and under various stages of design and development.

In conclusion, balanced Budget 2015 fulfills the most fundamental promise we made to British Columbians two years ago — balancing the budget by controlling spending and keeping taxes low while still providing more service to British Columbians.

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This budget, as were the two that preceded it, is a model of what a responsible government can accomplish and how keeping our focus on long-term economic goals will help to ensure we will have a secure future for all British Columbians.

In closing, I want to once again thank the amazing residents of the Shuswap for all they do to make the Shuswap such a safe, healthy and prosperous place to live.

J. Kwan: I rise to speak to Budget 2015. It is hard to believe, actually, I have responded to some 20 budgets in this Legislature since I was first elected back in 1996. I’m very, very honoured to consistently rise in this House to bring the voices of Vancouver–Mount Pleasant — a wonderfully diverse community with hubs of vibrant and unique small business corridors, an active urban aboriginal community and a strong history of activism — to this Legislature.

In our community we have a lot to celebrate — though, I must say, not much from Budget 2015. We have historic Chinatown, which is recognized as one of the largest and cleanest in North America. I know many members in this House have visited Chinatown. The most recent visit would have been just this past weekend, where some 10,000 people converged and came to Chinatown to celebrate the lunar new year and participate in the parade.

Right next to Chinatown is Strathcona, a neighbourhood that’s always been known to be ethnically diverse, where newcomers from around the globe come and start their new lives. And yes, the eastside neighbourhood of Strathcona was home to Vancouver’s first and only black community and home of the Jimi Hendrix shrine. Right now, members of our community would like to see an Afro-Canadian cultural centre built near the viaduct as a means to revitalize an important part of the Strathcona community history.

Further east is Commercial Drive, where you experience Little Italy right in your backyard, with the annual Italian Days amplifying the experience with a host of activities and performances. And the Drive is where the ever-popular Car-Free Day was first started.

Grandview-Woodlands, indeed, is a hub of community activism. We work hard to ensure that there are services and programs in place to support and meet the needs of the community.

If you go on Main Street, like Commercial Drive, you will see creative and innovative shops that reflect the unique character and flavour of the neighbourhood.

On the streets of the Downtown Eastside, while you see the challenges that we face as a community, if you take the time to look beyond the surface, you will see the kindness and the caring that defines the nature of the activism of our community.

The people in Vancouver–Mount Pleasant care deeply about their neighbours, and their values are deeply rooted in the belief in social, economic and environmental justice. This is demonstrated every single day in Vancouver–Mount Pleasant.

Our community has continuously called for an increase in income assistance rates to a level that provides an adequate living standard — new rates indexed to the cost of living. Raise the Rates has been at the forefront of this campaign. And as you can see in this budget, there is no rate increase for people on income assistance or on disability.

In case you’re wondering, though, the government is saying that they cannot have a poverty reduction strategy because, they say, British Columbia cannot afford it. But isn’t it interesting that when it comes to giving a huge windfall of some $230 million to the top 2 percent earners in British Columbia, this government has no hesitation whatsoever? They found the money — no questions asked.

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It’s not just poverty that our community fights against. Another issue that is consistently brought to my attention is the issue of affordable housing. We have scores of people who have come through our office seeking safe, secure, affordable housing. In 1993, as you know, the national housing program was cancelled. Now we’re on the verge of losing federal funding support for the cooperatives as the operating agreements come to an end.

If we lose the subsidies to co-ops and there is no action taken, the impact would be so significant. Literally thousands of individuals and families would be impacted, and we simply cannot let that happen. All levels of government need to work together and understand that the foundation for healthy living and healthy communities begins with a place that you can call home.

I recognize that for those who are homeless, shelters are often the first stop on the housing continuum. The average stay at a shelter is up to one month. It is incredible to me that in the Grandview-Woodlands area of Vancouver–Mount Pleasant, we actually do not have a permanent shelter. The need for permanent shelter in this area has been a theme for years in this community. Every winter, it feels like, I would write a letter to the Minister for Housing, and I would call for the HEAT shelters to be established.

Now, the HEAT shelter that opened at Commercial Drive and Pender Street was full in the first 12 hours of opening. Every night they’ve had to turn people away. The RainCity staff know and work with all the people in the area, and they know all of the folks who are precariously housed. There is no question that we need a permanent shelter in this part of the riding.

Now, we need to acknowledge that while a shelter is the first part of the housing continuum, we know that it is not the long-term solution. We need to invest in building new affordable housing and add to the permanent affordable housing stock.

In this budget, I see that the government has booked money from the sale of B.C. Housing assets. In my riding, the government has embarked on the sale of Stamps, a major social housing complex in the riding. As the minister knows, members of the community are deeply concerned about this and the process that B.C. Housing has embarked on.

They would like to be involved in this process and work with the government regarding the future of their homes. They want to have a say and incorporate their vision on what Stamps would look like if it were to be sold and redeveloped.

I have written numerous letters to the Minister for Housing on this — in fact, I think since November. I have yet to receive a response. I’ve put questions on the order paper, and still no response. I, along with the community, would like to confirm that there would be no changes to both the amount and number of subsidies made available to the tenants at Stamps Place for both the short term and long term.

Beyond the impact for the existing tenants, we would like to know from the minister, and for him to confirm, that this plan would not change the rate and the ratio of subsidies provided to this development into the future. As a benchmark, we would like to know how many people are receiving subsidies at this time and their rate of subsidy.

We would also like to have a list of the major upgrades that were completed at Stamps Place development. We would like to know if there are outstanding renovations or upgrades that remain to be undertaken. What is the projected cost of the deferred maintenance for Stamps Place?

I wish that these budget documents would answer these questions. When they don’t, I wish that the minister would respond to the questions that I have put to him on the order paper or the letters that I have written to him so that we in the community know what is going on and what we can anticipate so that we in the community can work with the government on this question.

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It is a significant question when we are talking about several hundred people. Several hundred people would be impacted by the development of Stamps. The simple courtesy of a response would go a long way.

We would also like to confirm that all the proceeds from the sale of Stamps would be reinvested in the provision of similar affordable housing initiatives for low-income tenants that require similar rates of subsidy in the community.

The budget document does not tell us that information. It does say that the money is booked, but how will it be spent? Will it be reinvested with a similar kind of housing? I do think that’s an important question that we in the community ought to know. It is important because we want to ensure that the affordable housing stock, to the magnitude which was provided in Stamps, would regenerate — the same kind of stock — in the community.

I am very, very concerned that if the sale goes through and if the same ratio of subsidies is not in place in the long term, that would actually mean the non-profit who has made the purchase would have no choice but to increase the rent. It’s not because it’s the non-profit who is failing the system, then, in that instance. Rather, it is the government who’s failed to ensure that the necessary subsidies are in place to ensure affordability for the tenants.

I don’t have a problem whatsoever for non-profits to run affordable housing projects. I think, on the whole, they do an excellent job. What I do worry about, though, is if the government does not provide sufficient supports to them for them to do their job effectively, the impact would be felt by the very tenants. That is the concern that we need to make sure, in the sale of Stamps and other projects like Stamps, does not happen.

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I know that if this happens, we will see an erosion of the affordable housing stock in the community over time. If there’s no confirmation of the ratio of subsidy and the amount of subsidy provided to our community, it would mean that there would be a diminishing of affordable housing stock. The last I checked, there were over 15,000 people on a wait-list for safe, secure affordable housing. The wait-list is so staggering that the government no longer keeps a wait-list.

Budget 2015. What of it? The housing capital fund has been cut by 62 percent, or $24 million, dropping to $15 million in 2015-2016. Yes, you have it right. Based on Budget 2015, the priority for this government is to give a $230 million tax break to the top 2 percent of the wage earners in British Columbia, while cutting 62 percent of the housing capital fund, which, by the way, is $24 million. That’s about 10 percent of the $230 million tax break that the top 2 percent of British Columbians would receive.

How does that make sense to you, Mr. Speaker? It doesn’t make sense to me, and it doesn’t make sense to my constituents. We have record numbers of people who are homeless and are in eminent danger of being homeless, and the government is running around giving a tax break to the wealthiest British Columbians while cutting the housing capital fund. I will tell you, the people of Vancouver–Mount Pleasant are against this decision. Not only are they against this move; they want a government that will take action for the needs of most British Columbians and not just a few.

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Speaking of taking action for not just a few, isn’t it time that B.C. had a universal child care program? I still remember how the Premier — the now Premier, who was then the Deputy Premier — after the 2001 election took federal dollars earmarked for early childhood development and used them for immunization costs. Those were dollars that were supposed to be booked and used for child care supports, and they were redirected for immunization costs.

Universal, affordable, licensed, qualified child care is good for families and good for the economy. The Coalition of Child Care Advocates of B.C. and the Early Childhood Educators of B.C. have developed a community plan for a public system of integrated early care and learning, calling for a $10-a-day child care plan. Many groups and individuals, including the UBCM and the board of trade, have endorsed this plan.

In Quebec 70,000 more women are working since affordable child care came to Quebec. Nationwide, 78 percent of children in First Nations communities are without a regulated space. Our economy grossed $2 for every $1 invested in child care. For British Columbia it’s projected to be a $2.4 billion growth in 2020.

The $10-a-day child care plan for B.C. is a good plan. It is an effective plan for the economy because investing in children is the best investment that you can make to build a strong future. Sadly, Budget 2015 makes no provision for it whatsoever.

Not only are children not supported for early childhood developments; students at the other end of the educational spectrum will now be charged for adult basic education.

I have a stack of letters from my constituents who wish to enrol in adult basic education so that they can further pursue educational opportunities as a means to develop their career opportunities. After much agonizing for many of these constituents as they make these decisions — because they are not always easy — imagine how shocked and dismayed they were to learn that effective May 1, 2015, it would cost them several hundred dollars more to take an upgrade for each course. One constituent wrote to the Premier: “You have killed my dreams of a better life, and you’re preventing me from furthering my education.”

This is a $5 million cut in adult basic education. That’s 2 percent of the $230 million that the highest income earners are getting — $230 million that they didn’t even ask for. How does this make sense? How does Budget 2015 make sense to anyone when you know of stories like this? You know these are not just stories. They are the lives of people — people’s real experience that they’re living every day.

There are other program cuts too. Last fall the Kettle society and the MPA Society received notice from Vancouver Coastal Health that they would no longer be funding their mental health advocacy programs.

The VCH advocacy program at the Kettle funded two full-time advocates and their manager. The two advocates the Kettle is losing are responsible for meeting all initial requests for advocacy service via telephone or in person. They rotate duties on the intake desk, which is open for service 23 hours per week on a drop-in basis.

They provide front-line paraprofessional service to mental health consumers in the areas of income and disability assistance, tenancy and housing, debt, income security, resource referrals, legal referrals, income tax preparation and many other matters. They help clients apply for and maintain eligibility for seniors pensions, income assistance and with applying for persons-with-disabilities benefits.

They provide tenancy advice; refer clients to appropriate legal, medical and community services; file income taxes; and help clients maintain eligibility for medical and pharmaceutical coverage. They assist clients with debt issues; help clients request crisis grants for food, clothing and shelter; and advise clients who are apprehended under the Mental Health Act. And now, the funding for that program is eliminated, effective May 1.

Not only that, access to Social Development offices to pick up cheques and other administrative tasks is reduced and limited to mornings only. So if for some reason you’re unable to go to the welfare office during the

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morning hours, you will have to wait until the next day to access your cheque.

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With these cuts to the Kettle and limiting access to social development offices, the government is reducing critical services to those most in need.

That is not all. This year marks the 25th anniversary of the February 14 memorial march to commemorate the missing and murdered indigenous women and girls.

I was at the first memorial march, and I still remember it. There were so few of us who came out to participate in that march 25 years ago that now, 25 years later, in this last memorial march it was beautiful to see some 5,000 people came out to support the family members and the community’s call for a national inquiry into the missing and murdered indigenous women and girls. Of course, a huge thank-you goes to all the organizers throughout all these years for their hard work, for educating the public about this critically important issue.

I also want to acknowledge the Native Women’s Association of Canada and the Canadian Feminist Alliance for International Action for initiating the call to the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights to investigate this issue. The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights released this report in support of the national inquiry on missing and murdered indigenous women and girls, stating clearly that the federal government has a legal responsibility to address “the underlying factors of discrimination that originate and exacerbate the violence.”

The commission notes that indigenous women and girls have gone missing or been murdered at a rate four times higher than the representation of indigenous women in the Canadian population. The commission recognizes the need to address “the persistence of longstanding social and economic marginalization” and is calling for effective measures to address the social and economic issues of indigenous women.

We need effective measures to fight against poverty, to improve education and employment and to guarantee adequate housing. We all know that the Oppal Inquiry was not given the mandate to look at the root causes, including the socioeconomic conditions that women face. The Oppal Inquiry excluded community members with incredible knowledge and insight on this issue. In so doing, the government actively prevented the answers that were needed.

While the commission stated clearly that the Oppal Inquiry only touched on one small aspect of the systemic failure, it did point out that all of the Oppal Inquiry recommendations need to be implemented. The Minister of Justice said explicitly to the Missing and Murdered Women’s Coalition that she wasn’t going to implement all the Oppal Inquiry recommendations, including the recommendation for safe public transportation along the Highway of Tears.

We heard this today in question period. We have the Minister of Aboriginal Relations making unbelievable comments and justifying why no action has been taken to bring safe public transportation along the Highway of Tears. To somehow suggest that there have been no other women that have gone missing or murdered in the last little while and that somehow it’s okay to not proceed with this recommendation….

Then we have the Minister of Transportation talking about consultation, only to find out that in that consultation process there’s not one shred of documentation about what happened there.

All of that is just simply poor excuses for not acting — taking action in every effort that we could make as legislators to actually make a difference in the lives of the people in that community and to say that we understand and that we will commit ourselves to stop any chance of women from the aboriginal communities from going missing and being murdered. How many more women have to go missing and be murdered before action is actually taken?

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Are we serious about the justification not to do public transportation on the Highway of Tears because there hasn’t been another incident of late? That can’t be serious, and surely to God, we will stand in this House and say that we will not accept that.

The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights actually called on the government to implement the recommendation from the Oppal Inquiry and specifically identified that public transportation is needed for the Highway of Tears. Where is it? How long does it take to get a bus to run along the Highway of Tears?

I’m calling on this government to find the necessary funds in Budget 2015 to do this and to provide the coalition with a timeline of when all of the Oppal Inquiry recommendations will be acted on. I’m further calling on this government to take action now to address the socioeconomic conditions, which for too long far too many aboriginal peoples face, and for us to take action to address these historical wrongs and the effects of colonialism.

As Dawn Harvard stated: “This is not a matter of choice. Our obligations under international human rights laws require us to eliminate the discrimination which causes the violence and to ensure that Canada’s institutions, including the police and the justice system, respond effectively when indigenous women disappear or are murdered.”

In the coming days three family members, Lorelei Williams, Michele Pineault and Mona Woodward, each with poignant stories about their experiences, will travel to Ottawa and participate at the national round table. They will be in New York to attend the UN Commission on the Status of Women conferences to share their stories.

Lorelei Williams, a single mother to two children, is a powerful advocate to the campaign for a national inquiry

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into the missing and murdered aboriginal women. She has been deeply impacted by the loss of her aunt Belinda Williams, who has been missing since 1977. Her cousin Tanya Holyk went missing in 1996, and her DNA was found later at the farm of convicted serial killer Robert Pickton.

Michele Pineault lost her daughter Stephanie Lane. Stephanie Lane went missing on January 11, 1997. The coalition wrote to the Minister of Justice about Stephanie Lane’s case, for which they’re still waiting for a response. Let me quote from the letter.

“In 2003 her DNA was found on Robert Pickton’s farm, but her family was told that there was not enough DNA to charge Pickton with her murder.”

When I say "her," this is Stephanie Lane.

“Eleven years later, in August 2014, Stephanie Lane’s family was notified by victim services that there was a change to her file, but the family did not receive details until September 2014. At a meeting with the coroner, the family was told that in an ‘oversight’ partial skeletal remains of Stephanie Lane were placed in RCMP storage until 2010 when they were transferred to storage facilities of the B.C. coroner’s office.

“The bones belonging to Stephanie Lane were overlooked and forgotten about in a storage locker. The quantity of remains that had been overlooked was large enough to be among the top six amounts of evidence identified from any of the victims whose remains were found on Pickton’s farm.”

And what of it? What action? What action will be taken to address this? This is a gross error and miscarriage of justice. We want to know what action will be taken to address this.

I see that I’m now going to run out of time very quickly, and I want to say this. I cannot, in good conscience, support this budget, Budget 2015. I see all of these issues that have been brought to the government’s attention time and time and time again. Consistently they turn a blind eye to it. They don’t face up to these issues because it’s not their priority.

What is their priority from Budget 2015? Their priority is to give $230 million of tax breaks to the highest income earners in British Columbia. I’ve just got to say: what is wrong with this picture? Surely, members of this House will agree with me that there is something gravely wrong with this. We cannot allow this to happen.

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It’s not good enough to say, “But we did give back the clawback” which was taken away from families since 2002 in the family maintenance clawback for single parents. It’s not good enough to give just that little tidbit back and say that it’s okay. It’s not okay. There’s so much more to do, and the government has the power to do it.

Budget 2015 has the authority to address these issues. Let us work together to make that difference. That is why we’re in this House. That’s why we all ran for office, to try to make that difference. Each of us have stories to tell from our communities. Each of us have issues that we want us, as a collective, to address. So why don’t we set aside partisan politics and do just that?

L. Larson: As this is my first time to speak this session, I would like to take this opportunity to thank my constituency assistants, Colleen and Patt, in Oliver for keeping doors open and lights on through all the ups and downs of the past year.

Having a fire destroy our office last April certainly presented its challenges — working from home, finding temporary quarters and furniture and then ultimately moving again at the end of December back into a rebuilt office and setting it up all over again. I am surprised that I still have staff, and I’m grateful for their good humour and all the extra work they have done and continue to do on behalf of the people of the Boundary-Similkameen.

And the most important person in my life — my husband, Larry, who is calm when I am not and always supportive. We will celebrate our 45th wedding anniversary this year.

I am pleased to take my place today with my colleagues, supporting another balanced budget for the people of B.C. There are 17 distinct communities in my riding, encompassing three school districts and two regional districts, and every one has its unique challenges.

Agriculture touches all the corners of my riding — tree fruits, ground crops, greenhouses, an incredible wine industry and, of course, cattle, feedlots and a fish farm supplying Arctic char to our local restaurants.

B.C. has the most diverse agrifoods industry in Canada. It provides 60,000 jobs and generates roughly $11.6 billion a year for B.C.’s economy. The replant program, recently announced, has brought greater certainty to our growers. An estimated 1,500 acres of orchards will be replanted by 2021, sustaining about 2,600 jobs each year for the Okanagan.

A further $2 million in the budget continues our support of our Buy Local programs and puts fresh B.C. fruits and vegetables in our schools. The B.C. school fruit and vegetable nutritional program will receive an additional $1 million in funding. This program now benefits close to half a million children and will also be available to First Nation band schools.

The recent extensive changes to outdated liquor laws will enable our wineries to compete beyond our borders and expand the quality and quantity of B.C. wines. The doors have also been opened for the expansion of market for distillers and craft ciders, all using B.C. fruit. Adding these products to the traditional farmers markets and outdoor festivals will further raise the profile of local products.

All levels of government have worked to take down barriers that have kept B.C. products from being able to move across our own country, and work being done internationally will soon see B.C. apples and blueberries join cherries in markets in China and other Pacific Rim countries.

The farmers in my riding depend on this government to build on the relationships that we have already estab-

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lished abroad and to continue with sound fiscal management and support for their small businesses — support in the form of low taxes and reductions in red tape that have made B.C. the envy of other jurisdictions across the country.

There are less than a handful of businesses in my riding with more than 50 employees. We depend on the small businesses in our communities for the jobs and services that provide the taxes for the infrastructure that makes rural B.C. a great place to live and raise your family.

Education and the continuing support in this budget of public school instruction is another important factor in the health of small communities. Many community activities centre around our schools, and they are employers who pay good wages and help to improve the local economies.

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In many rural regions of the province, school attendance has declined, and in other areas numbers have increased dramatically. Our school boards do a commendable job of balancing budgets in communities where declining population has meant less money coming in, while wage costs and maintenance costs have continued to grow. Another $106.5 million will go into the education budget in 2015-16.

Over the next three years the health budget will grow by $3 billion. Some of that pressure comes from our aging population, a population with multiple chronic conditions requiring many visits to doctors and time spent in acute care beds.

Despite the numbers, we have reduced the growth rate of health care spending to an annual average of 2.9 percent, down from nearly 8 percent in the mid-2000s. It is possible to continue on this path if we continue to be innovative and explore new ways of delivering services within our public health care system.

Even as we continue to do that, we continue to exceed other jurisdictions in life expectancy and survival rates for cancer and heart disease. The good health of the people of B.C. is not due just to the weather but rather the extensive programs for healthy living delivered by this government, which include ParticipACTION, the Informed Dining program and the B.C. smoking cessation program.

The aging population I referred to earlier will benefit from new funding for hospice, palliative care and end-of-life care. Seniors deserve to spend their final days surrounded by family and friends in a home-like setting and not on a four-bed acute care ward in the hospital. Eight million dollars was provided last year to support hospice organizations in Vancouver, White Rock, Qualicum, Clearwater and Comox, and government will continue to provide additional funding to support hospice services for children and adults as part of our goal of doubling the number of beds by 2020.

In my role as Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Social Development and Social Innovation, I have had the privilege of meeting with many people and organizations that tirelessly work to make the lives of people with a disability better — groups that work to connect people with services and technology that will enhance their lives; those who teach skills that will enable those with disabilities to have meaningful employment; and advisers who encourage participation in programs designed to save money for the future care of those same individuals.

One of those organizations is Community Living B.C., and government has budgeted an additional $106 million over the next three years to Community Living B.C. to support people with developmental disabilities. Community Living B.C. serves more than 17,000 clients each year — 16,384 in the developmental disability stream and 821 under the personalized supports initiative.

The CLBC budget for 2015-2016 is $834 million. The new funding over the next three years will allow CLBC to continue serving the existing clients and provide new services to another 2,300 individuals who are eligible for supports that include respite care, residential care or shared living, community inclusion and employment supports. Government continues to work with CLBC to meet the increased demand for services and find innovative ways and community partners to respond to the diverse needs of adults with developmental disabilities.

I have personally visited many of the organizations that work under the CLBC umbrella, and I am incredibly impressed with the work they do with developmentally disabled adults throughout the province. I have also visited places of employment where businesses in B.C. have stepped up and employed people with a disability and then become wonderful advocates for these employees and continue to encourage other businesses to do the same. We need people to fill the job vacancies as our population retires, and these are employees who show up on time every day with a positive attitude and a great work ethic.

This government has set a goal to expand high-speed Internet access to all of British Columbia by 2021, and we remain committed to achieving that outcome. To that end, we are pledging up to $10 million over the next two years to ma