Second Session, 42nd Parliament

(2021) OFFICIAL REPORT

OF DEBATES

(HANSARD)

Thursday, April 15, 2021

Morning Sitting

Issue No. 48

ISSN 1499-2175

The HTML transcript is provided for informational purposes only.

The PDF transcript remains the official digital version.

CONTENTS

Routine Business

Introductions by Members

Introduction and First Reading of Bills

Bill 2 — Public Interest Disclosure Amendment Act, 2021

Hon. D. Eby

Statements (Standing Order 25B)

Creative industries and role of arts and culture

T. Wat

Community response to stabbing incident in North Vancouver

S. Chant

1977-78 BCO men’s volleyball team

C. Oakes

COVID-safe music studio initiative and Amplify B.C. fund

A. Walker

W̱SÁNEĆ story on creation of mountains and islands

A. Olsen

Mission and Abbotsford hospices

P. Alexis

Oral Questions

COVID-19 circuit breaker restrictions and support for restaurant industry

S. Bond

Hon. R. Kahlon

R. Merrifield

Government communications on COVID-19 information

A. Olsen

Hon. A. Dix

Housing prices and action on affordability

L. Doerkson

Hon. S. Robinson

Rebate for renters

B. Stewart

Hon. D. Eby

Affordable housing targets and construction of new units

S. Cadieux

Hon. D. Eby

Housing hub program and rental units construction project in Merritt

P. Milobar

Hon. D. Eby

Tabling Documents

Office of the Representative for Children and Youth, report, Excluded:

Increasing Understanding, Support and Inclusion for Children with

FASD and Their Families

Orders of the Day

Throne Speech Debate

(continued)

A. Singh

J. Rustad

Hon. K. Conroy

THURSDAY, APRIL 15, 2021

The House met at 10:03 a.m.

[Mr. Speaker in the chair.]

Routine Business

Prayers and reflections: P. Alexis.

[10:05 a.m.]

Introductions by Members

K. Greene: I hope that everybody can join me in wishing my dad a happy

birthday.

He’s a proud dad of three adults but now seven grandchildren. I know

some of his most precious times are when he’s able to provide child care. My

son has been, for years, going out to Grandpa’s garage and banging things

around, using the tools and making big pieces of wood into small pieces of

wood.

I hope everybody can wish him a happy birthday. It’s the first year

that I think he’s been very excited to get older. He’s getting his vaccine

in three days.

Happy birthday, Dad.

Introduction and

First Reading of Bills

BILL 2 — PUBLIC INTEREST DISCLOSURE

AMENDMENT ACT,

Hon. D. Eby presented a message from Her Honour the

Lieutenant-Governor: a bill intituled Public Interest Disclosure Amendment

Act, 2021.

Hon. D. Eby: I move that the bill be introduced and read a first time

now.

I’m pleased to introduce the Public Interest Disclosure Amendment

Act, 2021. This bill makes several amendments to the Public Interest

Disclosure Act, or PIDA, which is British Columbia’s public sector

whistle-blower protection legislation.

PIDA was first brought into force on December 1, 2019, and it

currently applies to government ministries and in­dependent

offices of the Legislature. Government has publicly committed to expand

PIDA’s scope of coverage to apply to other organizations in the broader

public sector by 2024.

Built on lessons learned over the first year and a half of PIDA’s

implementation, these amendments are designed to support that expansion

effort by expanding legal protections, aligning statutory roles and

responsibilities and ensuring clear and consistent

interpretation of

existing provisions.

Mr. Speaker: Members, the question is first reading of the bill.

Motion approved.

Hon. D. Eby: I move that the bill be placed on the or­ders of the day for

second reading at the next sitting of the House after today.

Bill 2, Public Interest Disclosure Amendment Act, 2021, introduced,

read a first time and ordered to be placed on orders of the day for second

reading at the next sitting of the House after today.

Statements

(Standing Order 25B)

CREATIVE INDUSTRIES AND

ROLE OF ARTS AND

CULTURE

T. Wat: In the film Dead Poets Society , the late Robin Williams

remarked: “Medicine, law, business, engineering: these are noble

pursuits and necessary to sustain life. But poetry, beauty, romance,

love: these are what we stay alive for.”

In a few short lines, he captures the value of the arts in our

society. As we are surrounded by the natural beauty of our province, it

is easy to see why B.C. has never been short of artistic and creative

visionaries.

Here in B.C., we are marking Creative Industries Week, a week in

which we celebrate and recognize the many creative industries and the

thousands of people who have and who continue to be the driving forces

behind B.C.’s arts and culture scene. B.C. is blessed with a wide array

of creative industries, including book and magazine publishing, motion

picture production, interactive and digital media, and music and sound

recording, all of which have brought in billions of dollars in revenue.

But the contribution of this industry goes further than that.

I recently rose in this House to speak on the passing of my friend

Chang Tseng, a pioneer in B.C.’s film industry, who not only helped put

B.C. on the map as Hollywood North but as a community that promotes its

multicultural identity through the arts. We are blessed with so many

people from all backgrounds that continue his vision and continue to

build B.C.’s cultural identity.

[10:10 a.m.]

Like all sectors of our economy, many of B.C.’s creative

industries have been hit hard by the pandemic. As many of us continue to

endure the challenges of this pandemic, I think we are all reminded of

the value the arts bring to all of us. So let’s do everything we can to

support them and the crucial work they do.

COMMUNITY RESPONSE TO STABBING

INCIDENT IN NORTH

VANCOUVER

S. Chant: On the third of April, there was a situation in my community that

went from horror to heroes in a very short period of time. Somebody was

having a very bad day and took a knife to people in a public place. Six

people were injured. One person was killed.

However, during that time, onlookers rushed in to help. We had a

high school teacher with an umbrella who sent her child to safety and

went after him to try and stop him. We had a gentleman who took him by

the shoulder and said: “Take this outside with me.” He led him away from

other people.

Then the emergency crews arrived — the fire people, the police,

the ambulances. They all came. With the uniforms came a calm, because

there was a whole bunch of people there trying to figure out what to do.

Those people were heroes too. Once the injured were off to hospital, the

flowers started coming in — flowers and signs saying “Strength,” “Hope,”

“Love.” They started in a trickle, and they became a torrent. We had a

quarter of a city block covered in flowers and signs.

Overnight that night the moms of the area gathered together and

chalked messages all over the plaza: “Lynn Valley strong,” “Hope,”

“We’re good,” “We’re okay,” “We’re safe.” Then throughout the next

while, things started to heal. The Lynn Valley Lions and the Lynn Valley

Legion came together and started plans for the vigil so that the vigil

would be safe for all, so that we didn’t have to do our independent

vigils and gather together.

The North Shore Emergency group got together and started a

wellness centre. They had it so that you could go to that centre and

talk or you could go to that centre and drop your children off for a

little while and go for a walk by yourself. They offered many, many

things to help.

Throughout the week, each school was tasked and asked to put

together drawings from each student. Then at the end of the week, we had

a vigil. Fifteen hundred cars went through Lynn Canyon, where there were

thousands and thousands of candles, people sitting at intervals —

nodding, saying hi, talking to the people that they knew — music, a

fiddler…. It was a spectacular thing.

All these things are moving us towards healing. All these things

recognize our heroes. I just want to say thank you to all of our

heroes.

You stepped up, and our community is grateful.

1977-78 BCO MEN’S VOLLEYBALL TEAM

C. Oakes: I rise to pay tribute to the latest inductees to the Volleyball

B.C. Hall of Fame, class of 2021. The 1977-78 BCO men’s team was the

first and only group from B.C. to win a national men’s gold medal. The

na­tional club championships were considered the most prestigious

and most difficult tournaments to win in Canadian volleyball.

The team was led by Brian Watson, who, after winning the silver

medal, had visions of gold. Five silver team members were joined by

seven new players, and with existing coach Ray Myrtle, the team embarked

on a journey of champions and had the honour to represent British

Columbia in the Canadian national championships.

Team members were from different backgrounds. There were

blue-collar professionals and athletes. Al Marshall was a chemistry

professor at UBC. Mike Sayers and Scott Murray drove their VW Bug across

Canada. Jerry Story moved from Revelstoke to begin his education, and

Randy Wagner, the youngest at age 18, moved from Prince George. All

shared enthusiasm for the game. As Jerry Story recalls, this was a

fantastic group of athletes who learned from their experiences, everyone

contributing their personal best.

[10:15 a.m.]

It was the coming together of everyone that made such a great

team. Whether you are going for gold, playing for fun, competing as a

team or an individual, the positive energy of sport provides lifelong

lessons. In addition to physical and mental health benefits, sport

builds valuable leadership skills and diverse social connections. Sports

bring people together, and we are ready to cheer on our aspiring

athletes and our favourite teams and get back into the game.

Congratulations to the B.C. men’s volleyball team hall of fame

class of 2021 inductees for your remarkable achievement.

COVID-SAFE MUSIC STUDIO INITIATIVE

AND AMPLIFY B.C.

FUND

A. Walker: I am pleased to virtually rise in the House to celebrate Creative

Industries Week in British Columbia. Every day this week we have

highlighted a different part of creative industries and the incredible

people who are working behind the scenes.

Today we’re shining the spotlight on the music industry. The

necessary restrictions on gatherings have significantly impacted all

parts of the music industry. We cannot enjoy in-person concerts or big

live music festivals, and it’s very hard on businesses in the recording

industry.

Take North Vancouver’s Jim Kwan, owner of Creative­Music

Centre. When the pandemic hit last March, it seemed to Jim like music

was cancelled. Recordings would be impossible because bands couldn’t be

together in the booth. Then he looked around his music school, and he

realized he had a valuable resource — separate rooms. He came up with an

idea to build 12 isolated booths for musicians, connected into a control

room. This way, musicians could record and practise in real time instead

of dealing with the lag online. Bands could rehearse again, and choirs

could sing together.

He tested the idea in September with the women’s choir. As he

says: “After they sang, there was this pause. You could feel them all

just, like, wow.”

Jim’s idea was a hit. Thanks to an innovation grant from Amplify

B.C., Jim was able to make his idea a reality. Jim has completed his

project, and the socially distanced studio is up and running. These

grants help people like Jim adapt to the challenges of the pandemic. Or

to put it in Jim’s words: “Without the grant, we wouldn’t be able to

pursue this.”

To support Jim and the thousands of British Columbians like him in

the music industry, this week we an­nounced $22½ million over

three years for Amplify B.C. Amplify B.C. is the province’s music fund.

It supports the growth of B.C.’s music industry.

I know Merkules music in Nanaimo has received funding in the past

through Amplify B.C. This year’s funding will help them sustain the

music industry and help music companies like Jim’s pay their employees,

rent and bills.

Creative Industries Week is a time to celebrate B.C. creators. I

encourage everyone to check out the activities happening throughout this

week.

W̱SÁNEĆ STORY ON CREATION

MOUNTAINS AND ISLANDS

A. Olsen: There is an important teaching in

W̱SÁNEĆ. We are reminded of the

teaching through the stories of the Creator, XÁLS.

Landing the canoe at T̸IX̱EṈ,

XÁLS gathered some black stones from the beach, casting one of them to

the horizon. The sacred mountain known as ȽÁU,

WELṈEW̱ rose up. Putting a few more black stones

into the basket, XÁLS climbed to the top of ȽÁU,

WELṈEW̱ and created all the mountains that we see

in this beautiful place today.

Some W̱ILṈEW̱ , people,

followed XÁLS up the mountain and watched as the mountains were created.

When XÁLS had exhausted all the black stones, the Creator turned to the

W̱ILṈEW̱ and cast

the most honourable of them out into the ocean. With each one, XÁLS

said: “ QENT E TŦEN SĆÁLEĆE . You look after your

rela­tives.”

Rooting themselves into the ocean, each one of them became

TŦE ṮET,ÁĆES or an

island or, roughly translated, relatives of the deep. After casting the

last of our ancestors into the ocean, XÁLS turned to the remaining

W̱ILṈEW̱ on the mountain and said: “ I,

QEN,T SE SW̱ TŦEN SĆÁ­LEĆE . And you

look after your relatives.”

[10:20 a.m.]

When you open your mind to the worldview of “ QENT E TŦEN

SĆÁLEĆE ,” all the living things that we see today, all the

creatures big and small are transformed from our

W̱ILṈEW̱ ancestors

into the fishes, the wild game, the trees, and so on. They begin to look

a lot less like resources for our exploitation and a lot more like our

relatives.

Whether human or otherwise, when we look after them and they look

after us, we achieve equilibrium in our territory. It is a contract and

the way we honour the sacred responsibility given to us by XÁLS. It is a

wise teaching.

So I ask: are we living up to our end of the agreement?

MISSION AND ABBOTSFORD HOSPICES

P. Alexis: Today I want to acknowledge I’m speaking to you from the

traditional territories of the

Lək̓ʷəŋ­in̓əŋ peoples, the

Songhees and Esquimalt First Nations.

As we have especially learned throughout this drawn-out and often

painful year, there is nothing more precious than time — time spent with

our loved ones, time spent in reflection, time spent living.

I rise today to acknowledge the outstanding work of the Mission

and Abbotsford hospices, both of whom are committed to respecting and

celebrating the time we have with those that care for us most. Thanks to

the tireless efforts of Angel Elias, her team and volunteers, the

Mission Hospice has thrived since 1985. Their Guardians of the Gala,

delayed by COVID-19 but never stopped, will take place, virtually, on

April 23. I have no doubt it will be a resounding success.

Yes, Angel, I have registered.

April 10 saw the Abbotsford Hospice Society’s Light Up the Night,

Drive Through and Virtual Gala, a farm-to-table takeout experience,

featuring online entertainment and a silent auction — a resounding

success. Congratulations go to executive director Andrea Critchley for

her leadership and the work of her exceptional staff.

The outstanding work of these two organizations is made possible

through the work of their employees, volunteers, donors and boards. I

commend all their efforts in providing compassionate, high-quality care

to people, their families, their caregivers, in celebrating the time we

all share.

Mr. Speaker: Thank you, Member.

A gentle reminder to all members that these two-minute statements

should be two minutes. Most of the time, members do take care of that,

but sometimes you go overboard. So next time.

Oral Questions

COVID-19 CIRCUIT BREAKER

RESTRICTIONS AND SUPPORT FOR

RESTAURANT INDUSTRY

S. Bond: Local restaurants and, in fact, restaurants right across British

Columbia are barely holding on under current dining restrictions. We’ve

now seen countless media reports and comments from the sector itself

that they believe that the restrictions that are in place will be

extended. Hundreds of thousands of workers in British Columbia,

especially young people, have been impacted.

Let’s take the words of Nikita, who owns a café here in Victoria:

“I hired new staff to supplement increased revenue…. I will need to let

them go after only two weeks of employment.”

My question today is a simple one, to the Premier. In the event

that the circuit breaker restrictions are extended, will he commit today

to providing additional resources to struggling restaurants that are

barely holding on?

Hon. R. Kahlon: I thank the Leader of the Official Opposition. I agree with her.

This is a very difficult time.

I’ve shared many times in this House that my family ran a

restaurant for a decade here in Victoria. I remember how difficult that

was at that time, and with a pandemic, it’s extremely difficult. Our

restaurants have been working overtime to try to make their businesses

as safe as possible to ensure that their customers and their workers can

be safe, but we’ve seen an increase in cases.

The provincial health officer has made decisions that impact them.

We knew the decision came suddenly. Many businesses had purchased food;

some had purchased alcohol. Some had workers that were lined up to be on

shift, and they were stuck with some additional costs because of the

suddenness of the decision.

[10:25 a.m.]

That’s why we introduced the circuit breaker. I’m grateful for the

Minister of Finance and the work the ministry has done to expedite that

process, to make the process so quick, so that we could get that circuit

breaker online. That being said, there are also additional supports that

are available for businesses. The small and medium-sized business grant

is still available. Since the circuit breaker was announced, we’ve seen

an uptake in applications for that program.

Again, this is just one measure of the many supports that we’ve

put in place to ensure our businesses can go through this challenging

time.

Mr. Speaker: The Leader of the Official Opposition on a

supplemental.

S. Bond: While that was a long and interesting answer, the fact of the

matter is that the minister failed to answer the basic question. He is

responsible for the botched delivery of these programs.

Let’s be clear. Lightning speed is hardly announcing

re­strictions and then days later coming up with a program that

requires a business to have 100 employees to get $10,000. I’m not sure

how many restaurants…. I certainly know that in my community, there are

very few, if any, that have 100 employees.

Let’s get back to the basic question, and maybe the minister can

figure out the answer. The question is a simple one. People today have

invested their life savings in restaurants. There are people who are

being forced to put closure signs. They are closing restaurants across

British Columbia. So the Premier needs to listen to people who actually

run, own and operate and who hire employees in British

Columbia.

Here’s what Hassib Sarwari of the Afghan Kitchen in Surrey had to

say. Even if he got the full amount of the grant, it wouldn’t cover even

a month of rent — not a month.

Mike Joss, of the Gorge Pointe Pub here in Victoria, says: “We’re

$10,000 down on a regular Friday night…. So as nice as it is, it’s a bit

of a band-aid on a wound.”

Will the Premier listen to what these restaurants are saying,

stand in the House today and commit to adding additional resources to

support restaurants in the event that the circuit breaker restrictions

are extended. A simple question, yes or no?

Hon. R. Kahlon: Again, thank you to the Leader of the Opposition for the question.

I also thank her for acknowledging that within days we did get a program

up and in place to support businesses that had to pivot under short,

short notice from the provincial health office.

As I’ve highlighted, many businesses had purchased alcohol, had

purchased food. The circuit breaker was designed to give them relief for

the suddenness of the decision that was made. That being said,

businesses have access to the small and medium-sized business grant

program. I know that the opposition doesn’t like to hear this, but it’s

the truth. We collectively approved the highest per-capita support for

people and businesses in this country. We all should be proud of

that.

The Leader of the Opposition mentioned listening. We have been

listening. We’ve been working collaboratively with them. I can read all

the quotes from all the associations about how much they appreciate that

work we’ve been doing with them. It is a difficult time — no doubt about

it — but we will make it through.

R. Merrifield: Young workers in B.C. just want to pay their bills. They want to

pay their bills more than they want a special adviser.

The Premier has given these 20- to 39-year-olds no hope and no

funding. The $5,000 from the government that a restaurateur might get….

Well, that’s not going to get to workers when the owner is desperately

trying to pivot and just survive.

Steve, from Mittz Kitchen in Kamloops, says: “I spent about $5,000

last week alone in tables, chairs, patio heaters and daily trips for

propane. We have over 30 employees we are also trying to just keep

employed, but they’re not going to be able to pay their

rent.”

What money will the Premier provide to help young restaurant

workers pay their bills at the end of the month?

Hon. R. Kahlon: Thank you to the member for the question. Again, I have to

highlight that we did put in place the highest per-capita support for

businesses and peo­ple across the country.

[10:30 a.m.]

It’s unfortunate. We know that young people will be

im­pacted. We’ve known that from the beginning. Especially for

those that are working as servers, there is going to be an

impact.

This week the Minister of Labour announced changes to the minimum

wage. I hope all members of this House can support that, because those

are the workers that are impacted. Imagine a government that would give

servers a lower wage than everyone else. Imagine what that says to young

workers when they’re working in the hospitality industry.

We have put supports in for people. Workers that have been

impacted have supports available between the provincial government and

the federal government, and we will encourage them to take those

supports for this difficult time.

Mr. Speaker: The member for Kelowna-Mission on a supplemental.

R. Merrifield: Well, in order to get a raise, you have to have a job.

The Premier doesn’t seem to understand some of the supports that

are available. He and the minister keep trying to push the problem over

to the federal government.

Unemployed restaurant workers are being told they don’t qualify

for CERB under these health orders. That’s a fact. Paul Hadfield from

Spinnakers Pub here in Victoria says that we are impacting about 60

employees. So it be­comes a question of how far $10,000 goes in

supporting that number of people. I can tell you that it’s not enough.

There’s a gap in the Premier’s supports.

Will he fix it and provide money for these desperate

workers?

Hon. R. Kahlon: Again, I fully acknowledge that this is a challenging time. It’s

an unprecedented time. This is not just British Columbia. Every province

across the country is dealing with the same issues. In fact, most

countries in the world are dealing with the same issues.

That’s why we put in the highest per-capita support for people and

businesses in the country. Very proud of that. The member may want to

look at the labour force survey that came out. So 100.8 percent of jobs

recovered from pre-pandemic levels. The average wage for workers has

gone up.

I know workers in the hospitality and tourism industry are going

through a very challenging time. We know that. Again, supports are in

place.

It’s not about kicking it to the federal government. We’ve been

working closely with the federal government from the beginning to make

sure that our programs are aligned with theirs. Everybody wants all

levels of government to work together, and that’s what we’ve been doing

since the beginning.

GOVERNMENT COMMUNICATIONS

ON COVID-19

INFORMATION

A. Olsen: In the first phase of the COVID-19 pandemic, when the minister and

public health officials had daily public briefings, this government had

captured the attention of British Columbians. Since then, the government

reduced the number of briefings and media availabilities, and over time,

many people stopped paying attention.

Since that time, government has faced a worsening communication

challenge. Travel advisories have changed from within your local health

region to within your city to within your neighbourhood. Groups of ten

are encouraged, except for when they’re not. Data is released

sporadically across multiple resources and timelines. The public is

reliant on journalists and experts to piece it together and interpret

the data for them.

We are in the peak of this third wave. Hospitalizations reached an

all-time high yesterday, and our ICUs are filling up. The concern of

variants has people worried and wanting a deeper understanding of the

risk that they pose.

British Columbians need our government to increase communication.

We need government to be forthcoming and answer the questions

directly.

My question is to the Minister of Health. Will he in­crease

briefings?

Hon. A. Dix: Thank you to the member for his question. He knows that I’m always

open to suggestions and have been in consultation with the Green Party

caucus and with the B.C. Liberal party caucus consistently and have

often adopted their suggestions and their ideas.

Dr. Henry and myself and other public health officials do not just

do daily briefings from Monday to Friday — sometimes written, sometimes

in person — but also do, of course, every week, dozens and dozens of

interviews, where the questions are selected by the interviewers. We do

open line. We do all kinds of communications in order to ensure that the

public’s questions are answered. We have detailed data that we make

available at the BCCDC website every single day that is the basis of the

very analysis the member is talking about.

[10:35 a.m.]

What I want to emphasize today is the importance of the public

health guidance and the public health orders that are in place. They are

in place for a reason, because COVID-19 transmits through social

interaction. We sim­ply, all of us, have to reduce our social

interaction.

Those orders have been in place since November. The majority of

British Columbians, of course, follow them, but we need that number to

grow. I think all of us can play a role in leading on these questions. I

will, of course, take the advice of the hon. member and everyone else in

trying to do a better job myself in communicating on these critical

issues.

Mr. Speaker: The member for Saanich North and the Islands on a

supplemental.

A. Olsen: Thank you to the minister for the response.

We’ve often heard the minister and public health officials start

their responses with “as the member knows” or “as we’ve heard many

times.” British Columbians are asking, members of this chamber are

asking and reporters are asking because they don’t know the answers to

the questions and because they are seeking clarity.

Weeks ago the Premier announced that we were on the right track.

Then a week later cases spiked, and the government increased

restrictions. We were told not to travel, yet B.C. Ferries increased

their sailings over the Easter long weekend. Masks were not necessary

until they were mandatory. The potential of a third wave was downplayed

by this government, despite experts forewarning it, and now here we

are.

The government must regain the trust of a skeptical public. It

starts with being accessible, admitting imperfection, and consistent,

disciplined communications.

My question is to the Minister of Health. When will the reporters

who are awaiting answers to the questions that they’ve been tweeting

about, that they’ve been waiting for those answers, that they’ve been

asking for the minister to provide answers on…? When can they expect the

answers to those unanswered questions?

Hon. A. Dix: Every day we receive dozens of questions, detailed questions, from

reporters, and we seek to answer those questions on a regular

basis.

interviews where we don’t select the questions. Reporters do. Almost

every week, for example, on CBC and on CKNW and other stations around

the province, I do a regular interview, and frequently Dr. Henry does,

where we don’t select the questions, and we provide answers.

I think we can always do a better job. But here’s what I would

also say. We have done an extraordinary job — and by “we,” I mean all of

us together — in an immunization program that has immunized, with first

doses, more than 1.1 million people as of Tuesday, taking doses that

come from the federal government, sometimes inconsistently, and

delivering them in the arms of people. We have set up a registration

system for immunizations that has more than a million people registered

and more than 350,000 appointments booked.

With respect to public health messaging and orders, from the

beginning, Dr. Henry has been accessible, in detail, to the members of

the Legislature and members of the media in providing responses to

questions. Sometimes there are delays in answers. I appreciate that, and

we try and do a better job. But we’re also doing, as you can see,

vaccinations, contact tracing, testing, helping people in hospital — the

extraordinary work of our critical care staff. We’re also doing

extraordinary work around the province in helping people deal with the

COVID-19 pandemic.

I am very proud of Dr. Bonnie Henry. I think she’s an

extraordinary communicator. I’m proud to stand with her, and I know

almost all British Columbians that I hear from are proud to stand with

her as well.

HOUSING PRICES AND

ACTION ON

AFFORDABILITY

L. Doerkson: The price of an average B.C. home has jumped a staggering 20

percent from last year. Instead of taking action, the Finance Minister

said that she wants to wait “as things rebalance themselves.” The same

government that said they didn’t want to balance the budget on the

property transfer tax is now profiting off of this extremely

unaffordable housing market.

Instead of raking in record property transfer tax, will the

Premier deliver a plan to stop soaring housing prices?

Hon. S. Robinson: Well, certainly, no one could have predicted this pandemic and the

impact that it would have on our lives and on our economy. I have to say

that the low interest rates that were intended to bolster the economy,

through the shock, have led to big price increases, certainly for

first-time homebuyers, making it very difficult to get into the

market.

Our pre-pandemic efforts to moderate the market were having

positive results. The spec tax alone brought 18,000 homes available to

British Columbians, which was quite significant.

[10:40 a.m.]

There is certainly more work to be done. We won’t go back to the

way it was before. The people on the other side of the House, frankly,

didn’t do what they needed to do in order to address a crisis that grew

for 16 years unabated because they didn’t do what they needed to

do.

Mr. Speaker: The member for Cariboo-Chilcotin on a

supplemental.

L. Doerkson: Again the blame somehow is transferred to this side of the

House.

Despite the promises that have been made in this House, a new

report from the National Bank says that it will now take young buyers 34

years to save for a down payment for a Vancouver home — 34 years. Now we

are hearing NDP MLAs say that they will be “the last generation to own a

home.” This is happening under the Premier’s second term, I might

add.

Will the Premier stop these soaring house prices, or will he blow

it for all the young people of this province?

Hon. S. Robinson: For 16 years — I know that the members opposite don’t like when I

say that, but I am going to say that — the people on the other side of

this House turned a blind eye to dirty money in real estate, which we

know contributed…

Interjections.

Mr. Speaker: Members.

Hon. S. Robinson: …to over 5 percent, across B.C., and as much as 20 percent to

housing prices. That is because they did nothing about dirty money

entering the real estate market.

Interjections.

Mr. Speaker: Members, let’s have order, please. Order.

Hon. S. Robinson: Clearly, they are not interested in hearing how tackling

speculation is making a difference for British Columbians, how

increasing supply for families is impacting the market as well. We are

tackling supply. There’s actually going to be another housing

announcement, if I recall, later today.

Interjections.

Mr. Speaker: Members.

Hon. S. Robinson: I invite the members to attend that housing announcement to see

what more this government is doing to address housing for young British

Columbians.

Interjections.

Mr. Speaker: Shall we continue or just listen to each other? Are we good?

Okay.

REBATE FOR RENTERS

B. Stewart: Four years ago in his first term, Premier Horgan deceived renters

by breaking his promise to implement a renters rebate — again promised

just seven months ago.

Now in his second term, the throne speech made no mention of a

renters rebate, despite the Premier promising it for a second time. The

renters rebate appears to be as elusive as a spotted owl in

B.C.

Will a renters rebate be in the budget, yes or no?

Hon. D. Eby: Let me just begin by saying that it is a pleasure to see the

opposition stand up for renters for once. When I sat on that side of the

House and the opposition stood up for renters and they were on this side

of the House, it fell on deaf ears over and over again.

That side of the House has seen us introduce legislation to

protect renters with respect to renovictions, to give them appropriate

access to the residential tenancy branch, a compliance unit to deal with

problematic landlords, support through the pandemic unique in Canada

that has led to the lowest level of rent arrears across Canada,

including all of the provinces.

Our support for renters includes more than 26,000

af­fordable homes under construction, rental homes under

construction. That’s more than the last government built in 16 years. If

the opposition wants to get into a contest about who supports renters, I

welcome it.

Mr. Speaker: The member for Kelowna West on a supplemental.

B. Stewart: Well, it’s interesting. The math that you’re counting and saying

that 26,000 new rental properties are under construction…. Frankly, B.C.

Housing isn’t reporting that. But we can talk about that another

time.

With the renters rebate nowhere to be seen, renters are paying

more than ever under the NDP. And 20- to 39-​year-old renters in

B.C. or in Metro Vancouver are particularly hard hit. According to CMHC,

renters are paying $2,532 more per year under the NDP. The average rent

has passed $1,500 per month for the first time.

Where is the renters rebate?

[10:45 a.m.]

Hon. D. Eby: When you don’t build rental housing for 16 years, this is what

happens. Rents go up due to supply. On being elected, our government

made a multi-billion-dollar commitment to build affordable rental

housing across the province. That is rolling out in record numbers. The

member knows that.

The member also knows that in the pandemic, in some of the areas

that have seen the biggest rent increases be­cause the previous

government didn't build housing, we have actually seen rent

decreases.

Interjections.

Mr. Speaker: Members. Let us listen to the answer, please.

Hon. D. Eby: We’ve actually seen rent decreases in those markets.

The pandemic has had unpredictable impacts on homes for purchase

and homes for rent. Government is responding. There will be another

announcement about how we’re supporting people to get into affordable

housing, again this afternoon — part of our billions of dollars of

investment in British Columbians to address the housing crisis that was

created by the opposition. There is no debate about that.

AFFORDABLE HOUSING TARGETS AND

CONSTRUCTION OF NEW

UNITS

S. Cadieux: The latest B.C. Housing progress report says that just 3,246 units

of housing, under the Building B.C. plan, are actually open today. Only

161 of those are new middle-class rental units.

Can the Premier confirm that the NDP has delivered just 3 percent

of the 114,000 homes promised four years ago?

Hon. D. Eby: Well, when you take just one stream of funding that the government

is putting into housing, then, yeah, you’re going to get a smaller

number of housing units than the government is actually

building.

The member is pulling out just one stream of funding. Let me just

give one example of how absurd that number is. Even when you talk

about….

Interjections.

Hon. D. Eby: Let’s talk about housing starts in this province.

Interjections.

Mr. Speaker: Members.

Hon. D. Eby: B.C. is on track for 42 percent more housing starts than the old

government would have delivered, than they committed to in their

budgets. That’s 58,000 more homes across the province than the previous

government was committing to.

In 2020, we’d already registered more rental units for

construction by July than the old government ever did in an entire year.

I can go on and on about all the housing that our government is

building, that they did not do, that they did not commit to and that

they never would.

Mr. Speaker: The member for Surrey South on a supplemental.

S. Cadieux: Such pontification from the member.

The minister is talking about the private sector building homes.

I’m talking about the promise that the government made to build homes.

With just 3,200 homes open after four years, it will take the Premier

and this Premier-in-waiting 100 years to meet their 114,000-home

promise.

This is according to their very own report, the NDP’s B.C. Housing

affordable housing quarterly progress report, their own report.

According to that same report, one in five of the units open today are

reannounced B.C. Liberal projects.

Can the Premier confirm exactly what date he will meet the

114,000-home promise by — not the private sector, the government’s

promise?

Interjections.

Mr. Speaker: Members. Let’s listen to the question, please. Please continue,

Member.

S. Cadieux: Clearly, they don’t care about the truth. The reality is that one

in five of the units open today is a reannounced B.C. Liberal project.

If the minister wants to continue referring back to 16 years, he needs

to bring that point forward.

Can the minister confirm exactly what date the NDP government will

meet their 114,000-home promise by?

Interjections.

Hon. D. Eby: Thank you to the opposition for the welcome.

The member was concerned about people not wanting to listen to her

question. It was actually the opposition that was yelling during her

question. And I don’t blame them.

In just three years, our government has 26,067 homes complete or

underway, including 6,861 complete, 9,272 in active construction and

9,934 in planning stages. As of April 2017, the old government only had

roughly 2,000 units under construction or development. As of February

2021, we have 19,000 units under development.

[10:50 a.m.]

The member also, helpfully, neglects the opposition’s opposition

to the speculation tax that brought 18,000 va­cant homes on to the

rental market. Yet they continue to oppose it.

I hope we see more question periods on rental housing.

HOUSING HUB PROGRAM AND

RENTAL UNITS CONSTRUCTION

PROJECT

IN MERRITT

P. Milobar: It’s been an interesting afternoon of revisionist history by the

minister.

Here’s a question about a program….

Interjections.

Mr. Speaker: Members, wait, please. Let him finish the question

first.

P. Milobar: Here’s a question around the housing hub program, which the

minister has been directly responsible for.

Under that program, the developer of the Olympic villas in Merritt

received $16 million in low-interest loans from the NDP. The developer

was supposed to build affordable rental units, but instead, the

developer slashed the affordable rental units, the 19 units, out of the

development. It still gets the loan.

Why is this Premier giving a developer $16 million to slash 20

affordable housing units out of his development?

Hon. D. Eby: I’m incredibly proud of the housing hub program that was started

by the previous Housing Minister, now the Minister of

Finance.

This is a program that provides low-interest construction

financing to developers in the for-profit and not-for-profit sectors in

exchange for commitments around delivering affordable housing for

purchase and for rent. It’s an amazing program. It was wildly

oversubscribed. It’s a really exciting program. I hope the member stays

tuned for that.

I’m not familiar with the specific development the member is

talking about. If he has details, he should certainly bring them to me.

We don’t fund people to bring affordable housing out of a development.

It’s just the reverse. So glad to hear any information he has about

that. I’m happy to look into it.

Mr. Speaker: The official opposition House Leader on a supplemental.

P. Milobar: That’s a shocking lack of oversight by this government when it

comes to how they loan money. The project was supposed to be for 95

units. It then got slashed down to 75 units, with the 19 affordable

units gone. They don’t exist in the project anymore. Apparently, there

is no oversight by this government when they go into agreements with

developers around projects.

It was very clear. Last year the NDP announcement said that the

Olympic villas got $16 million for just 75 units. The announcement

happened after the units were already slashed out of the project. There

is no net increase in affordable units in the Merritt area as a result

of this loan.

Why is this Premier rewarding developers for slashing affordable

rental units from their projects, and why is there so little oversight

on a project?

Hon. D. Eby: The reason why I’m not familiar with the exact details of that

project is because we literally have 19,000 units under construction

across the province right now. That’s a lot. I’m very reliant on B.C.

Housing.

I’m very interested in any information the member has. I’m willing

to bet that those 50 units are 50 more than we would have had under the

previous government. But we’ll see.

[End of question period.]

Tabling Documents

Mr. Speaker: Hon. Members, I have the honour to present a report from the

Representative for Children and Youth entitled Excluded: Increasing

Understanding, Support and Inclusion for Children with FASD and Their

Families .

Orders of the Day

Hon. M. Farnworth: I call continued debate, the throne speech.

Throne Speech Debate

(continued)

A. Singh: I broke off yesterday having learned something new — that we could

speak about our friends that have helped us. Thank you to the member for

Delta South for giving me that knowledge. I’ll continue with that. Before I

do that….

I also spoke yesterday about how baffled I remain by the collective

amnesia of the official opposition on pretty much anything from health care

to mental health to ser­vices for people and even to housing. We saw

that again this morning. It was a legacy of ignoring — and I’m being

generous here — and being wilfully blind to the housing crisis and

contributing to the situation that we’re in today. A situation that our

government has taken great strides in addressing, as the Attorney General

has so eloquently laid out.

[10:55 a.m.]

[S. Chandra Herbert in the chair.]

Again, enough of that. Back to a few more people that I really didn’t

get a chance to publicly thank, and want to thank, that helped guide and

helped me along and held my hand along the journey here. Vikram Singh, an

amazing, amazing volunteer. Mr. Nanda, Shahzad Mansoory from the Richmond

mosque. Kelly Sangha, Bikram Sandhu, Makhan Kandola and many, many

others.

I also want to remember some close persons that have passed. Our

Lieutenant-Governor spoke about Charanpal Singh Gill. Uncle Gill was a

fierce pioneer in social justice. Many of you know that, but many of you may

not know that we have another connection. Uncle Gill used to live in Hong

Kong, which is where I’m from as well.

I remember in the mid-’80s, when I was studying at university in

Berkeley, California. I’d come up to visit some relatives and friends here,

and he was one of the people that I visited on this farm out in the Fraser

Valley. I remember having some great discussions with him. We disagreed on a

few things but had some great discussions. His passion for people, his

passion for farmworkers, his passion for fighting for social justice will

surely be remembered. I want to honour him for that.

Another Uncle Gill also passed away last year — Amarjit Singh Gill, my

old neighbour on Bird Road in Richmond. Uncle Gill was truly a renaissance

man, a man who worked his way up from multiple different jobs. I think he

was a security guard at some point, a translator. He worked his way up to

become one of Richmond’s most admired and successful realtors and

developers.

He also holds a really special place in my heart. Anyone that came

across Uncle Gill will testify that he would go out of his way to extend his

hand to help them. He did so for me in my deepest time of need. He was there

for me in my deepest time of need. Sadly, he passed away last year. I want

to remember and honour him.

We’ve all spoken about the difficulties of this last year on numerous

occasions. I don’t doubt that we’ll continue to do so for the next few

months. The COVID-19 pandemic has forced us to live in a way that we

absolutely could not have foreseen. Many British Columbians lost loved ones,

and many weren’t able to be there to give support to their loved ones, not

only from COVID but also from the twin pandemic of the opioid

crisis.

We spoke about that yesterday. It was a solemn anniversary. I’ll speak

about that at the end, as I’ve spoken many times before here. Addiction and

mental health hold a special place in my heart. It’s a journey that I’ve

gone through personally. So I’ll speak about that at the end, as I

said.

Many, during this time, have suffered isolation and loneliness and the

yearning to be together and to bond with each other. We all have that,

right? We’re social beings. My undergraduate studies were in anthropology.

One of the things that was instilled in us and that came out was…. As a

species, we wouldn’t have survived had it not been for that social bond that

we make with each other, that community. That’s what helps the human species

survive. We’ve seen a lack of that in the last year, and it’s a hard time

for all of us.

Some of us are luckier than others. I’m lucky. I live with my elderly

father, who suffers from Alzheimer’s. It’s a devastating disease that

progresses really, really fast. I’m really lucky to have incredibly

hard-working home care workers that come several times a day to help him.

Even though he has been vaccinated, I’m still really careful with him. I’m

lucky that he’s with me and that I see him every day. Most people aren’t so

lucky.

I’m lucky that we have a province where the government supports health

care workers, like the care workers and the aides that come in and take care

of my father and treat him…. I’m so proud to say that they treat him with

the dignity and respect that we all deserve and that we all want for our

elders. I’m really grateful that we live in a province where, at this

hardest time, we all came together. So many of us, health care workers going

out of their way immediately.

My friend from North Vancouver spoke this morning about our community

strength. That is what I was so humbled to see in our province in the last

year — how just everyday people came together and stepped up to the plate to

serve each other and to really form that sense of community. I hope that

stays.

[11:00 a.m.]

Grocery store employees in my South Asian community, truck drivers….

Richmond-Queensborough is sprawling. I think it is the largest urban

constituency in British Columbia. A vast amount of it is farming, farmers

who kept food on our tables. Teachers, support staff, child care workers who

carried on the important work in difficult circumstances and continue to do

so to this day.

Small business owners had to substantially change the way they

operated to keep workers and customers safe. In my previous life, before I

was elected, I owned a small business. I had a few employees. We had to

radically change the way that we operated. We pretty much had to shut down

for a few months last year. It was hard, really hard. But, you know, we had

people that we were taking care of. We, like many others, stepped up to the

challenge and adjusted so that we could do that. That’s what I saw in

British Columbia.

I think we’ll all take that lesson with us. As these days pass, we

face new challenges. Every day we face new challenges. Our government, I’m

proud to say, has risen to face those challenges and provide not only the

things that we need to stay safe and healthy but also the resources that the

people of British Columbia need to face the hard economic times that have

confronted us for the last year and will continue to confront us for the

foreseeable future.

This pandemic is the toughest challenge we have faced in generations.

British Columbians have come a long way by looking out for each other.

Finally, we’re so close to the end, in some ways. I’m in that age group

where I’ll be vaccinated, hopefully, in a few weeks. I’m looking forward to

that day, and I know other people are as well. I think the number was

something like 40,000 got vaccinated the other day. Thousands are getting

vaccinated every day. That gives me hope.

I also see that sort of coming to the end, that final push, as the

Lieutenant-Governor said in the throne speech, is sometimes the hardest.

People are tired of all the things, and they may let down their guard. There

are new variants out there, so I’m going to, as the government has done,

urge people to keep steady and keep going.

Keeping people healthy and safe until we’ve crossed that finish line

and gotten way past it is our collective responsibility, and it’s been this

government’s top priority for the last year. Our government has consistently

and constantly been taking action to make sure that we get the help that

people need, then to actually create the conditions for a strong economic

recovery that doesn’t leave people behind, that works for everyone — again,

acknowledging that this is an incredibly hard time.

It’s an incredibly hard time for people in the tourism industry and

the hospitality industry, an incredibly hard time. But we will get through

this together.

When the pandemic hit B.C., we were an economic leader in Canada. We

were one of the country’s fastest-growing economies, with absolutely low

unemployment rates and steadily rising wages. Despite the challenges last

year, our strengths remain.

As my friend the Minister of Jobs and Economic Recovery stated, we’re

at 128 percent job recovery from pre-pandemic levels. I’m proud of that. I’m

proud that our government has been able to achieve that in these hard times.

We’ve been able to do that by listening to the scientists and by listening

to the experts and deferring to them and not letting our political ideology

and ideas get in the way.

That’s what a good government is. A good government is a government

that listens, that’s teachable. That’s what a good human being is, as well,

someone who’s teachable and who’s open.

We’re already seeing positive signs for recovery, but there’s so much

more that we need to do. In a few days, we’ll be introducing a new budget,

later this month, that’ll show that it’ll improve health care. It’ll have a

space for helping businesses to grow and to hire and to make record

investments in infrastructure, which is what we need at this

time.

From the day that this government took office in 2017, the focus has

been people. Yesterday the speaker of the Third Party spoke about a story

and what story we want to tell and what story we want to be proud of. You

know, our story, this government’s story, the NDP’s story, has been a story

about people, all about people, the people of British Columbia.

[11:05 a.m.]

That focus has not changed or wavered since 2017. It’s steadfast. It

in fact became stronger during the last year, in the pandemic, as we faced

the challenges of the pandemic. As I said, in many ways, it’s been further

reinforced.

When COVID-19 first struck, our government moved quickly to provide

relief for renters, middle-class families, hard-hit small businesses and the

most vulnerable. We’ve adjusted and implemented new measures to face the

daily challenges that we have. In fact, British Columbia has delivered more

direct help for people throughout the pandemic than any other province in

Canada.

The Leader of the Opposition spoke this morning about supports for

businesses. Again, I’ll reiterate that British Columbia has delivered more

direct help for people throughout the pandemic than any other province in

Canada, while at the same time keeping the people of British Columbia safe.

Their suggestions…. Actually, they don’t really have any suggestions, only

questions and insinuations. But those insinuations, in my humble opinion, if

they wanted what they want, would jeopardize the safety of people in favour

of economic interests.

What we’ve done has been a measured approach and an approach that has

been working, that has been keeping people safe and has, as I said, 100.8

percent job recovery rate from pre-pandemic levels. We need to keep

steadfast and keep going on the route that we’re going.

We understood from the beginning that while everyone is affected by

this pandemic, not everyone is affected evenly, as has been said many times.

Metaphorically, we’re all in the same storm but in different boats. As we

move forward toward better days, we’re making targeted investments to ensure

that this recovery, the economic recovery that we have, does not leave

people behind, that it works for everyone.

We’ve focused on people and local communities, and they’ve been at the

front and centre in our minds. Those communities are our partners, and we’ve

worked with them. Throughout the pandemic, we’ve ensured local governments —

who, again, are our partners — could continue to provide services and keep

the people who provide those services working and keep them safe. As we turn

towards recovery, we’ll invest in stronger communities, and that’ll be one

of our key priorities.

The budget, as you’ll see, will make record investments in our

infrastructure to keep people and our economy moving. That’s what

governments do in hard times. Roads, bridges, rapid transit, schools,

hospitals and community centres will all continue to be built across the

province, as well as houses, more homes, more rental units.

Training programs and community benefits agreements will ensure that

these investments support good, well-paying jobs in British Columbia, where

they are the most needed. Businesses have suffered throughout this pandemic,

and we recognize that and have been there to provide the support that’s

needed and at times tweaked the supports that we laid out to better serve

people.

As I said earlier, that is what a good government does. It is a

government that’s teachable. It learns and adjusts. We did that, putting out

a program responding to the needs of the hospitality industry and the

restaurants, and within less than a week, turning around and adjusting a

program to offer some help.

Is it going to solve the situation? No. We’re in a pandemic. We’ve

been in a pandemic for a year. The whole world has been here. But again, in

my humble opinion, we’re in the best place. We’re in British Columbia, and

we’ve done a good job. We’ll continue to do a good job.

Many small businesses had to make tough decisions to close or reduce

services to protect their workers and customers. From the outset, our

government made it clear we would help small businesses and employees get

through it.

Really early on we cut property taxes, prohibited commercial evictions

and forgave hydro bills. We introduced tax incentives to businesses to hire

workers and make the investments. We’ll continue to offer these supports to

businesses in this hardest-hit time. We’ll continue to tweak those services

and those supports that we offer to face the challenges that

come.

No one could have predicted this pandemic, so we don’t know what’s

ahead of us. This government has done an incredible job, in my opinion, of

taking in the challenge and adjusting and facing that challenge

head-on.

[11:10 a.m.]

We’ve made record investments in infrastructure. These will support a

resilient economic recovery, again, that puts people back to work and works

for everybody. We’ve made record investments in housing and child care, and

that is also part of our economic development strategy because that helps

businesses attract and retain talent by lowering the costs of

living.

Child care is a game-changing concept, and I’m really looking forward

to the next few years as we implement that. We’ll continue to do what we’ve

done, you know, as we come to what could be called the dust of the pandemic,

and we’re hoping that this will all be behind us at some point.

We’ve been improving health care to ensure that we’re prepared, and

we’ll continue to do that, to improve health care to ensure that we’re

prepared for future challenges, by fixing…. We fixed cracks in long-term

care that we knew existed and that COVID-19 really exposed. We reduced

surgery wait times, and we’ll be building more hospitals and urgent primary

care centres all over British Columbia — again, a step that really, really

helps just everyday people.

We’ve been making life more affordable by cutting ICBC rates by 20

percent, expanding access to the $10-a-day child care spaces that I’ve

spoken about, and there’s so much more to come in that.

There are a lot of social things that have been happening as well.

What we’ll be doing is we’ll be building more inclusive communities by

developing B.C.’s first anti-racism law and reforming the outdated Police

disabilities.

We’ve been working hard to protect the environment by reforming

forestry legislation. Our whole…. Some members spoke about it yesterday —

bridging the digital divide, with new investments to boost connectivity in

more rural communities. This is building on the progress made to bring

better Internet to thousands and thousands of households. With innovation,

B.C. will come back stronger than ever. We’re poised to do better, and we

will.

When the pandemic hit, we were one of the fastest-growing economies,

and when the pandemic leaves us, we will remain in that position. Our

strength and our resilience define us. We’re a natural gateway to the

Asia-Pacific. We have abundant resources that include not only natural

resources but the intellectual ability of our people and the intellectual

ability of the companies that exist here.

I’ve spoken here about the innovation that happens right in my

backyard, right in my constituency of Richmond-Queensborough, with companies

like FLIR, which developed the cameras for the Mars mission.

There are many more companies like that, I’m proud to say, in

Richmond-Queensborough — bioLytical, a biotech company that has for years

produced inexpensive HIV and hep C test kits that are distributed in the

developing world by the World Health Organization. They’re developing a

rapid test kit. They’ve gotten funding from the national government, a rapid

test kit for the SARS-CoV-2, which is the virus that causes COVID-19.

Incredibly innovative companies, and we’ll continue to support

them.

As time goes on, I’ll introduce you to more innovators in diverse

fields, right here in Richmond-Queensborough. These are all part of the

backbone of our economy, and these are the assets that will help us recover

to a more prosperous British Columbia.

You know, as time goes on in the year ahead, the government will

continue to help businesses recover from the short-term effects of the

pandemic as well. The long-term effects will take some time, but the

short-term effects will…. We will continue to build an innovative,

sustainable and inclusive economy with an eye to the post-pandemic world.

With the pandemic, and before that as well, global markets are changing in

ways that offer us significant opportunities.

We have the goods and services that the world wants, and these prices

that people are willing to pay will continue to reflect environmental,

social and governance aspects of production. All of those three areas are

areas that we can offer an advantage in the world market. We can offer

environmentally responsible, socially responsible products from a

democratically run province. Firms in British Columbia will be able to take

advantage of a premium paid for inclusive and sustainable

products.

Agritech, a few weeks ago, is already…. We announced some funding for

agritech, which, again, I’m proud to say we’re innovators and leaders of in

British Columbia.

[11:15 a.m.]

Agritech will already allow agricultural food processing and the

seafood sectors to benefit from the use of innovation and technology. By

embracing innovation, these producers are enhancing productivity, while at

the same time, addressing expectations around the world about sustainability

and traceability of food products. We’ll take additional steps in the next

few years to support innovation and technology.

I started yesterday, this speech, with the recognition of traditional

lands, where I work and live. I can say that I’m proud to be part of a

government that has taken on the challenge of racism, colonialism and the

wrongs done to the First Peoples of this land and have recognized that

reconciliation has to inform each and every decision that we

make.

For the last four years, this government has worked to go beyond these

important land acknowledgments and to actively forge partnerships with

Indigenous Peoples. We’ve passed legislation, with the acceptance of all of

the House, together, to confirm the United Nations declaration on the rights

of Indigenous Peoples.

Working together, we have progressed on advancing meaningful

reconciliation. Indigenous languages have been revitalized. Child care

legislation has been improved and will continue to improve, so more children

rightfully remain with their families and communities. Fundamental human

rights of Indigenous People have been enshrined in law with the unanimous

passage of the declaration in this Legislature. This hard work has only just

begun. We’re at the dawn of that. Together we will succeed, but we need to

be together in that.

The pandemic, like in many other areas, has exposed many pre-existing

systemic gaps in health care, housing and other basic services that

disproportionately affect Indigenous People. We recognize that. We recognize

that our future must be one where we share decision-making and prosperity

with Indigenous People, who have exercised their inherent rights on their

respective territories since the dawn of time.

Part of that work is a recognition that our greatest resource is our

province, the beauty and the majesty of which I think we’re all really proud

of, whether it’s when I drive down the East-West Connector, looking over

cranberry fields, to the majestic, snow-capped mountains of the North Shore

— of course, being careful and driving responsibly and not being distracted

by those sights, which is hard to do. Or I’m on the ferry to Victoria, as I

pass through the straits of the Coast Salish sea, spotted by the lush

islands of this temperate rainforest that we all live in.

I could go on and on about the beauty of British Columbia. Just being

present reinforces the need. Being present in British Columbia reinforces

the need to protect this place we call home. For generations, economic

growth in our province has come at the expense of the environment. This has

to change. We know we can no longer rely on simple resource extraction to

generate wealth on the destruction of the environment. This has to change.

The coming generation has spoken loudly about climate change and their

concerns around that. This is the one single issue that should unite us

all.

Over the past few months in my new role, I’ve had the privilege of

speaking to several classes at different schools in Richmond and New

Westminster, to young people. The one thing that young people have

repeatedly expressed to me is their concern over their future. Will they

live in a world where they can breathe the clean air that we have the

privilege of breathing? Every single class that I visited has expressed that

anxiety and concern over our earth.

This government is determined to continue tackling the environmental

challenges that were neglected for too long, for generations. This year it

will continue the work of reforming the Forest Act and the Forest and Range

Practices Act to meet the challenges of the 21st century, and with the

climate in mind.

This government will continue to take action on the independent report

on old growth, which recommended an important new protection for remaining

old-growth stands. New measures are going to be proposed to increase access

to fibre for communities, Indigenous Nations and small

businesses.

Land management practices will be updated to improve forest

stewardship and, again, emphasize environmental protection. The forest

sector will be supported to move from a volume to value. That’s what we

need. We haven’t had that in British Columbia. We may have had it for a

little while. It was taken away, with the increase in raw logs and the

shutting down of many, many mills in their communities. But we’re going to

be making those innovations.

At the same time, we’re going to move forward with other measures to

protect B.C.’s environment, including improving waste management of

plastics. These actions will build on the progress we’ve already made

recently, like removing over 120 tonnes of marine debris from B.C. coasts

and shorelines, and planting a record 300 million trees last year. I think

we’re projected to plant another 300 million this year. That’s half a

billion trees. That’s impressive.

[11:20 a.m.]

Our economic recovery must become an opportunity to accelerate

environmental protection. We’re faced with a unique opportunity here that we

will take advantage of. Central to our plans to address climate issues is

CleanBC. It’s a plan to create a more sustainable economic future on the

other side of COVID-19. It’s North America’s most progressive plan to reduce

carbon pollution, while creating good, new, family-supporting jobs. You’ll

see that in the year ahead.

I see my time has come to an end.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

J. Rustad: As always, it’s an honour to have an opportunity to speak on behalf of

my constituents in Nechako Lakes. I want to start by thanking, of course,

the people of the communities in my riding for their continued support in

[audio interrupted] represent their voices. Each one of us in this

Legislature does our best, I’m sure, to represent our ridings to the best of

our abilities.

Of course, we can’t do the job without family. I want to take a moment

to talk about family, because it’s been a very challenging year, as

everybody knows, especially with COVID.

My mom celebrated her 99th birthday here just after Christmas. My dad,

this weekend, will be celebrating his 94th birthday. We’re managing to keep

them in their home, between my brother and me. My brother is doing primary

care, and I’m coming in to help. We’re managing to keep them through this,

but it is tough. They aren’t able to get out and around. They aren’t able to

go out to a restaurant for coffee. It’s pretty challenging for them. But

because we have family, because we’re close, we’re very fortunate in that.

It does help them get through some of these challenging times.

I know so many people out there don’t necessarily have that situation.

I know how much tougher it can be on those families. So I want to say thank

you to the front-line workers, the people who are keeping us safe, the

people who are doing the work, whether it’s in health care, whether it’s in

the grocery stores or any of the other components of our economy and of our

society that help to move things along and keep us all going. I can imagine

how challenging this has been with so much uncertainty that’s out

there.

Throughout my riding, I’ve had an opportunity to talk to many, many

people, whether it’s community leaders, whether it is First Nations people,

protesters, people who are protesting the protesters, and many faith leaders

throughout my riding. Everybody has different challenges, and everybody has

different issues. But it made me realize, as well, that although we are all

in this together, we are not all feeling this equally in terms of what COVID

is doing and the restrictions and the path that we need to take. That

creates big challenges, especially when you think about

companies.

I’m fortunate enough to live at Cluculz Lake.

Just before I go on further, I can’t believe I forgot one person. I

really need to thank my wife. As everybody knows, doing this job takes a lot

out of you. It takes a lot and puts a lot of pressure on family. My wife has

always been there and very supportive. I want to say thank you, especially

to her. She has a birthday coming up, too. I might get a chance to talk

about that here coming up in May.

As I was saying, I get an opportunity…. I live at Cluculz Lake. It’s a

beautiful little place in the world. Living right on the lake, you get to

watch all of the wildlife. You get to watch things that happen.

Something I’d never seen before happened just the other day. Just to

set the stage, I was looking out at the lake. Most of the lake is still

covered in ice, but in the area we have out in front of our place, the ice

is open. About 20 feet off the shore, a fish came up out of the water. I

don’t know what it was chasing. It ended up on the ice. There was a little

bit of water on the ice. But this poor fish was stuck on the ice, and it was

flopping around. I thought for sure an eagle would’ve come by and had a nice

lunch. But it persevered.

[11:25 a.m.]

It could have just a little bit of water for some air, which it had on

the ice. But it kept flopping around, and eventually, the sun managed to

melt a little bit of the ice with a little bit of the waves. It made its way

back into the water.

I thought about that just in the perspective of, particularly, the

restaurant sector that we have in the province right now. It is a very

challenging time. For many of them, they’re just struggling. They’re really

trying just to keep the door open.

I’ve got a little restaurant out at Cluculz Lake, and it just serves

the local people. There are some people that come out from Prince George or

Vanderhoof to it. It is a very small little restaurant.

They managed to stay open this past year, through this, with takeout

and people around the community being supportive of the restaurant. But this

latest order that came out has really hit them hard. They were just on the

verge of getting some nice weather, just on the verge of having more people

come. They don’t have a very large patio. They can’t service a lot of

people. We’re not quite in the weather that we are in, in the Lower

Mainland. This is really a challenging time for a small little restaurant

like that.

The relief program for the circuit breaker will help a little bit. But

I fear for a business like that to stay alive. Many of the restaurants and

businesses throughout my riding that are being impacted…. A number have gone

under. Many have managed to go through because of the community support, but

boy, oh boy, it’s getting tough.

I think probably the most frustrating thing for them, as well as many

of my other communities, through COVID, is that I can’t explain to them why

the restrictions are in place for them. I can explain why they are in place

for the province. But most of my communities have been 100 percent

vaccinated. Most of my First Nations have been 100 percent

vaccinated.

For a little restaurant out at Cluculz Lake, there are no cases. There

are no cases of COVID around, throughout the area. Everybody is following

the rules. Everybody is doing the appropriate distancing. Anybody that would

come out to the lake is in a bubble, in a group, together. It’s not like

it’s a gathering place for people to go. Why do they have to have the same

restrictions? Why can’t there be some variance, some options?

British Columbia is a very large province. We’re all different in

terms of our region and our impacts. I can’t explain it to them. It’s

unfortunate. They struggle on. They do what they can, following the rules,

but it is unfortunate in terms of what some of the impacts are for those

areas that are following the rules, that are doing the right things with the

vaccines going in place and being effective.

I’m registered, now, for my vaccine. I suppose I’ll get it probably

end of May or into June, in terms of my age bracket. My family, my parents

have been vaccinated. But it’s a hard one.

In any case, I do want to go on, though, to the throne speech, and I

want to start, actually, with a bit of a kudos to the government. Mining

sector has expressed a lot of concern around the province. We have not seen

a new mine open in four years. We have not seen new construction start, I

should say, in a new mine over this period of time.

I had a meeting with the owners of the Blackwater project. They’re

pretty optimistic that they might be able to start construction here in the

next couple of years. They’ve actually said that government’s trying to work

with them to get this thing through. They’re going to be one of the most

environmentally friendly mining operations, in terms of their emission

targets, that we’ve got pretty much anywhere in the world. It’s going to be

a very large gold mine. I’m quite excited about that going

forward.

They still need one key factor, and they’re confident that they’re

going to get it. That key factor is to be able to raise the capital needed.

They think they’re most of the way there. They’ve got most of the rest

that’s there. But when I talk to the mining sector across the province,

that’s the challenge. They’ve got lots of exploration going on, lots of

hopes, lots of plans, but investors are not looking at British Columbia as

the place to be, as the place to put resources. As the mining sector has

said, if we don’t see new mines starting up, by 2040 there’ll be only five

mines left operating in the province.

When I think about the green economy and I think about all of the

potential, whether it’s electric vehicles or whether it’s any of the other

components that are really needed, we need minerals. We need our resources.

British Columbia has the best environmental standards in the world. We’ve

got First Nations that understand and are employed by the mining sector, and

we’re not seeing that. I think government needs to really think about

that.

[11:30 a.m.]

How do we attract the capital to see projects like this move forward,

to be able to support communities and families and be able to support the

province? It was sad, when I listened to the throne speech, that there isn’t

any recognition of that problem, of the uncertainty that is being created in

this province, of the cost structure, of the burden of regulations and the

real challenge for companies who want to invest in this province. It’s not

because of….

We want to see a company do well. But a mine like the Blackwater

project…. What that will do for the Cariboo North riding and what that’ll do

for the Nechako Lakes riding in terms of the employment — 1,400 people doing

construction, another 1,400 people, direct and indirect, that’ll be tied to

the project when it gets built.

This is huge for an area like this, and it’s just a shame when I think

about a number of the other projects around the province that are struggling

because they just can’t find that capital to build. It’s something to think

about, and I hope maybe a future throne speech might actually take

recognition of what’s needed, because as we all are experiencing COVID,

every jurisdiction in the world is trying to attract that investment

capital. Every jurisdiction in the world is going to try to attract tourism,

mining, resources, green economy, etc.

What’s B.C.’s advantage? How do we rank when it comes to individuals

and companies, investors, in terms of creating those jobs and creating that

economy? The answer’s not great. It’s something that government needs to be

thinking about, because as the mining sector has said, if we don’t change

where we’re going, the decline over the next 15 to 20 years is going to be

pretty significant. That’s a big blow to government revenues, to jobs, to

families and to communities.

Forestry, of course, was talked about a fair bit in the throne speech.

I look toward to the chance to get into es­timates and be able to go

through the questions that I’ve got. I’ve got a lot of them. I’m sure that

it will be a gruelling process, but as the old saying goes, the devil’s in

the detail in terms of some of those components.

As I started off with a bit of kudos, I’ve heard a number of speakers

from government, as well as the government throne speech itself, that I’ve

got to give a bit of a raspberry to. That is, carbon dioxide was referred to

as a pollution.

Now, I’m sorry. I get what the language and the rhetoric is. Carbon

dioxide is an essential component of life on this planet. It is not a

pollution. That sort of misinformation out there is just ridiculous. It’s

ridiculous to be able to do that. It doesn’t serve anybody well. It doesn’t

serve the environmental movement well. It doesn’t serve us as a province

well. A poor choice of words. That’s the raspberry.

I think about, as well, some of the components that are out there.

I’ve been listening to, whether it’s question period or other

res­ponses by government as well as responses…. One of the things that

the Minister of Jobs came out and said was that we have the highest

per-capita support of any small business. Well, I’m sorry. That is just not

true.

Look at Stats Canada. In terms of per-capita spending support, there

are only two provinces that are worse than B.C., and that is Nova Scotia and

New Brunswick. Every other province is significantly higher than B.C.,

double or triple what B.C. is actually putting out there. That doesn’t even

account for the fact that that’s just money committed, not money that’s

actually gone out the door.

It is really unfortunate. I know the media is really stressed. They

don’t have the sources they used to have, going through this. They can’t do

the background. I wish there was, I guess you could say, a truth meter in

terms of some of these statements, because these sorts of things are simply

not accurate in terms of what’s being said. There’s a little smoke and

mirrors and stuff being played to make it sound like it’s good. Maybe the

members on the government bench and the members on the back bench just eat

it up, but they should look a little bit broader in terms of what some of

those stats really are saying.

[11:35 a.m.]

The same thing at question period today. I had to chuckle at the

Attorney General. He came out and talked about how the housing price

increase was all on the B.C. Liberals. I’ve got to tell you, that is really

quite something, to think that the B.C. Liberals have that much

in­fluence in terms of policy. I know we did great things. We created

an enormous economy, a juggernaut, and the whole economy and people really

benefited from that. The NDP inherited that.

A 168 percent increase in Canada in housing over the last 20 years.

That is not the B.C. Liberals; that’s Canada. The closest country to that

was…. The U.K. and France were at 100 percent over the last 20 years, and

the United States had a 54 percent increase in housing. Yes, Canada has done

well. Do you know what? British Columbia has done even better. That’s

because of the strong economy and what we put in place in terms of

that.

To say that that’s all on the B.C. Liberals is just far-fetched.

Jiggery-pokery, I think, were the words that were used by one of the former

NDP MLAs. This is the problem. You get so much stuff that comes out that can

be deceiving and misleading, so much spin. It’s really unfortunate. It

doesn’t serve, like I say, the people of my riding or the people of this

province well to have that kind of stuff.

The throne speech talked a little bit about some additional spending

in terms of mental health issues, which I actually applaud. We’ve got a big,

big problem with mental health. I’m happy to see, particularly for youth,

that there will be some increase. Now, of course, the throne speech is one

thing. We’ve heard lots of promises in throne speeches in the past that

didn’t really transpire into actions. Those will be things that I’ll be

watching. But mental health is a big issue.

I had an opportunity to have a meeting with the Premier to deal with a

facility that’s trying to go into this riding by the Carrier-Sekani Family

Services. It will have 60 beds for recovery from addictions. Many of those,

of course, have mental health issues associated with it — desperately

needed. I am glad that the Premier is going to make an effort to actually

try to overturn what the ALC ruling was so that we can see that happen in

this area.

There’s something more that needs to be thought about. People are in

those situations for different reasons, whether it’s mental health issues,

whether it’s addiction issues. Everyone is different. There needs to be

different ap­proaches taken for individuals that go through this. But

there’s another key component that’s happening. That is, quite frankly,

crime. Many of these issues are leading to unsafe situations for people,

whether it’s in my riding, communities in my riding, or many other

communities around this province.

It is not right at any time that a person, a woman or otherwise, does

not feel safe walking from their car to their office, to their place of work

or going back to their car. It is just not right. There are people who are

being assaulted. There are people who are being threatened. There are people

defecating in the front streets, in front of places. We’ve got problems. I

hate painting that picture, but we’ve got big, big problems.

Unfortunately, I did not really hear any ideas towards solutions to

these kinds of things. As a society, this is a problem. Just simply

warehousing people is not the solution. People are individuals. They need

individual support. They need programs to come in. Housing, yes, is one

component of it, but it’s not the only component that needs to be put in

place.

Not to mention that we’ve got communities now that are talking about

having to hire security forces to try to manage the problems in their

communities, in their business communities. The RCMP can’t handle it because

there’s such an increasing problem now with crime and with mental health and

with the homeless issue. It is worse today than it has ever been. Nobody can

deny that.

Having a ministry and a poverty reduction plan, they haven’t changed

anything. This problem has only gotten worse. I applaud government for

saying they’re going to be putting some more resources to it, but boy, oh

boy, there is a lot of action that’s needed. That will be something I’ll be

paying close attention to as it goes through.

[11:40 a.m.]

It was also disappointing, I think, when I listened to the throne

speech…. Agriculture is a big piece in my riding. In the agriculture sector,

they just want to be able to get along. They just want to be able to go on

and do what they do. They’re price-takers, unfortunately, so they have to

take what prices they get. That means that whenever there are input cost

increases, whether it’s carbon tax or otherwise, that hits directly on the

bottom line, because they can’t just pass it on. But they

persevere.

I’ll tell you, though. The one thing that I hear about, over and over

again, from the ag sector in my riding is really about the changes to allow

family to be able to stay on the farms. For many of my farms in my area, the

people that founded the farms and their children want to stay on the farm.

They’re now retiring. They want their children to be able to stay on the

farm, and being able to have that second home is a real problem.

I know that the minister has come out and said that she’s going to

make some changes. But good gosh, this should have been something that was

done ages ago. We’ve got a housing problem. Why on earth are we not allowing

families to be able to stay on farms? Why on earth are we not allowing this

sort of situation, and just making it so difficult?

I had one fellow who approached me, and he said that he bought a piece

of land. I’m still trying to figure this out. He said that when he bought

it, a portion of that land was not in the ALR. Now he’s trying to build a

house on that, and it’s come back and said that apparently it’s now been

added to ALR.

I don’t know whether it was a mistake the first time around, but now

he can’t build his house. He’s on an old trailer. He can’t build his house,

so he’s got to tear down this trailer and clean it up before he can build a

house. Well, where is he going to live? There isn’t rental housing and other

things available. The rental housing market in the communities here is

really tight. What’s he going to do? He thought: “Okay, I’ll bring in a

fifth wheel. I’ll stay in that.” Well, he’s not even allowed to do

that.

These sorts of things are absolutely ridiculous. They’re issues that

are driven by ideology as opposed to thinking about what matters most, which

is the individuals, like the farmer that is working the land. The land by

itself is not productive. It’s the farmers that make it productive, and they

get us our food to our markets.

I want to also take a second, just going back to an issue that I’ve

raised on a number of occasions in the past and will certainly be raising

during estimates. That’s the issue of forestry roads. Whether it’s the

highway component that is being beaten up by a tremendous amount of forestry

activity through transportation, or whether it’s the forestry road, there is

a lot of degradation of these roads. It’s creating real problems.

I’ve had a person out in Houston having to travel down what is

actually not a forestry road — a regular road. But it is so damaged from the

logging trucks that go barreling down these roads that he actually broke his

axle in the potholes. I think we need to see some resources that go toward

it.

According to the report by the Auditor General, less than 20 percent,

somewhere between 14 percent and 20 percent, of the actual asks for

repairing these roads are actually getting approved for funding. We’ve got

to find a way to be able to get some more resources into that.

North of Fort St. James is a road that we call the North Road. It goes

up to Germansen Landing. It’s partially highway, and it’s partially forest

service road. It is just in horrendous shape. We keep scraping graders over

it, but the base needs to be replaced in areas. Approaches to bridges need

to be fixed up. The road is just not safe for anybody to travel. Even the

logging trucks have to crawl along through this area, because it’s in pretty

rough shape.

I know that people are doing their best, but there needs to be the

understanding that with the additional resource activity happening, there

also needs to be the additional investments that come, to be able to help

them improve these situations.

For the people in Nechako Lakes, they’re an independent group. They’re

good neighbours. They’re really great people. They try their best to be able

to get along and do things, but they do need a few things. They do need some

help. Things like road maintenance are big issues.

Even along Highway 16, there were five passing lanes that were booked

to go into my riding. All of them have been put, now, out in the ten-year

plan. Those are safety improvements. Those kind of quality improvements

along those roads have been ignored.

[11:45 a.m.]

We’ve gone from a place where we spent between $15 million and $17

million a year in Nechako Lakes to, under the current government, one year

was $4½ million, one year was $3½ million, and last year was $11½ million.

You compile that together, and it’s only a third of what had been spent in

the past. That’s partially why we’re seeing the degradation on some of these

side roads — because we’re not seeing the money available to do the work —

and why we’re not seeing the safety improvements along the highway in terms

of some of these intersections and passing lanes and improvements along

Highway 16.

Now, I get that this is a government that has different priorities,

and it is moving its money to other areas of the province. But ridings

should be treated equally; areas should be treated equally. They should see

that. There should not be this money being taken away from an area like

this, especially an area that creates so much economic activity, to be

redirected for political purposes elsewhere. There needs to be those kinds

of investments to be able to keep the economy going.

The people in this area help to generate a lot of revenue for

government, particularly through forestry and other activity. They don’t ask

for much, but they do want to see a bit of return and attention to what’s

needed.

I just want to touch on the hospital in Fort St. James. Once again,

it’s something that I know the area is looking forward to. It’s been

promised. I hear that this year we’ll get to place where there will be

construction, a contract that might be out there and let. I’m getting two

thumbs up from the Minister of Health in terms of my thing on this. That’s

good. I’m really encouraged by that. It’s going to be a much larger facility

than what it was.

The one big question I’ve got for the Minister of Health is: how are

we going to staff it? We don’t have the staffing levels in that community to

be able to support that hospital at this point, and it’s going to need a

pretty concerted effort. That will take time. As the Minister of Health

knows, you can’t just go out and just hire somebody. It takes time to be

able to recruit and bring people in.

There’s a large plan that needs to be put in place there to make sure

that facility is going to be able to meet the needs within the area without

having to bring in people from all over the place for locums. But that’ll be

an issue that I’m sure the minister and I will get a chance to talk about

over a period of time.

I’d just like to maybe wrap up my comments on the throne speech by

saying this. If you go back and look at throne speeches for the last four

years, they’re pretty much all the same. Nothing really has

changed.

[Mr. Speaker in the chair.]

A throne speech should really be about laying out a vision, especially

at a time like this when we’ve got COVID-19 and we’re talking about recovery

from COVID-19. There needs to be this path, this plan. People want to see

what that light is, how things are going to go. And that was missing from

the throne speech.

There was a lot of talk on a variety of issues, a lot of rehashing of

things that had been said in the past. But that was an opportunity missed, I

think, by this government, because it did not lay out that path. It did not

say how the economy is going to be able to recover. How are we going to be

able to compete with every other jurisdiction that’s trying to recover, and

how are we going to be able to manage through this?

I did have to chuckle at the throne speech that said that as the

economy recovers, they’ll balance the budget. But I can tell you, if you

don’t have a plan for significant economic growth, that means you do not

have a plan for balancing a budget. You’re not going to be able to do it by

simply raising taxes. You’re not going to be able to do it through other

methods. You’re going to need to have significant economic growth. Once

again, that is the challenge I see in this throne speech. There was no

plan.

Now, we’ve got a budget coming out here shortly in the next week.

Perhaps there will be some more of a plan in there. But like I say, in terms

of a throne speech, for the people in Nechako Lakes, they were hoping to see

just what that vision and plan was, their reopening plan — how things are

going to roll out, how we were going to be able to position ourselves

globally so that we can attract the kinds of dollars and build that

confidence that’s needed in this province to have a robust

economy.

With that, Mr. Speaker, once again, it’s always an honour to be able

to speak on behalf of my people in Nechako Lakes. It’s an honour to be able

to represent them.

[11:50 a.m.]

I will look forward to the budget coming out, although I must admit

that I don’t quite have the same optimism that it will have the kinds of

things that are really needed to be able to move us forward in terms of our

province. But we’ll see when that comes out. And I’m sure I’ll get an

opportunity to respond to that in the future as well.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker, for the opportunity to speak to

this.

Hon. K. Conroy: I am really pleased to be able to re­spond to the Speech from

the Throne today.

I want to recognize the Indigenous nations on whose traditional

territory we are all gathered. I want to acknowledge that I’m speaking to

you from the unceded territory of the Secwépemc, Okanagan, Sinixt and

Ktunaxa Nations, as I’m here at home in the Kootenays.

It’s been a pretty tough year for so many of us. It was for our family

as well. I want to start by just thanking everyone for their incredible

support when my husband, Ed, died last year. So many of you have been part

of our journey of Ed’s many, many health issues. No one would have thought

he would have died after an accident, falling and breaking his hip at the

local lumber supply store picking out fence posts, because we were building

fencing here on the farm. He never did recover after the surgery.

COVID didn’t help that at all. I’m forever grateful to all of the

health care professionals who were there for us during that really

incredibly difficult time. Again, to all of my colleagues on both sides of

the House, I want to thank you for your support.

I also have some happy news to share today, as it is our daughter’s

birthday. It is what we call in our family a big O, but put a four in front

of it. It’s hard to believe when one of your babies turns 40. I want to wish

her a really very, very happy day. Once we can, we will have a big

celebration with all of our family and friends. Although being a mom of

five, ages six to 20, and having her oldest daughter and her partner living

with them, her busy house of eight always seems to have something going on.

I think they have one of the biggest bubbles that I know of in the

Kootenays.

Today she is going to be spoiled by all of them. I talked to her this

morning. Her seven-year-old had created a video for her, with help from his

auntie. It was pretty cute, and had seven-year-old issues in it, which were

things I won’t talk about on this part of my speech. But it was really….

It’s great that she’s getting spoiled in such a great way. It’s much

deserved.

Happy birthday, Sasha Rene.

I’m also really very humbled by the support of the people of Kootenay

West, who re-elected me for the fifth time last October. I want to thank

everyone who helped me to get re-elected and continue to support me in this

job. I want to thank my two constituency assistants, Angelika Brunner and

Cyra Yunkws, who do such an incredible job taking care of the needs of our

constituents. I get amazing feedback from people that they are helping every

day when I am out in the constituency doing my properly distanced shopping,

and people consistently tell me what a great job they do.

I also want to thank all of my staff in the ministry office, who are

also doing a really great job of supporting me as I take on this new

ministry and this new role. When the Premier asked me to take on this new

position, he told me that he thought I would be the very first woman to be

Forests minister in B.C. So I did look it up, and it’s actually only taken

110 years to have a woman in this position. I think it’s better late than

never.

I’m really so very, very proud of this diverse 42nd parliament that I

am part of because we know that, as the throne speech said, we will be

focused on putting people first. You know, we have been doing that since

2017, and we fully intend to not only continue that work, but to build upon

the efforts we have made to date.

Before I outline some of the incredible investments made in my riding,

I just want to take a moment to ac­knowledge the impact of the

pandemic and the opioid crisis. I want to extend my condolences to everyone

who has lost a loved one, and I want to recommit to the work our government

has undertaken to address these concurrent crises.

This pandemic has uncovered some of our weaknesses, the cracks in the

systems, the challenges we face. But we're working so hard, as hard as

possible, to address the many issues created by what I believe has been

inaction or poor policy or inadequate legislation under the previous

government.

We acknowledge the many challenges ahead of us. But we know that

British Columbians are being heard, appreciated, and supported by this

government. In my riding of Kootenay West, we have been so fortunate to

experience some of the incredible supports put in place by our government.

We have never been through something like this in our lifetime.

[11:55 a.m.]

To experience the pandemic, while being part of the go­vernment,

is both challenging and rewarding. Our caucus and cabinet have worked

tirelessly to ensure that as many sensible, accessible and appropriate

supports as possible are in place. There are many different types of

supports, including mental wellness, financial, business and family

supports. We've changed plans. We’ve changed legislation, and we’ve changed

approaches as was needed to pivot in this ever-changing and ever-challenging

pandemic.

What strikes me most is the resilience….

Mr. Speaker: Noting the hour, Minister.

Hon. K. Conroy: Noting the hour, I reserve my place to continue speaking and move

adjournment of the debate.

Hon. K. Conroy moved adjournment of debate.

Motion approved.

Hon. R. Kahlon moved adjournment of the House.

Motion approved.

Mr. Speaker: This House stands adjourned until 1:30 this afternoon.

The House adjourned at 11:56 a.m.

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