20200220pm Hansard n311

British Columbia — Debates (Hansard)

Fifth Session, 41st Parliament OFFICIAL REPORT OF DEBATES (HANSARD) Thursday, February 20, 2020 Afternoon Sitting Issue No. 311 THE HONOURABLE DARRYL PLECAS, SPEAKER ISSN 1499-2175

PROVINCE OF BRITISH COLUMBIA (Entered Confederation July 20, 1871) LIEUTENANT-GOVERNOR Her Honour the Honourable Janet Austin, OBC Fifth Session, 41st Parliament SPEAKER OF THE LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY Honourable Darryl Plecas EXECUTIVE COUNCIL Premier and President of the Executive Council ............................................................................................................... Hon. John Horgan Deputy Premier and Minister of Finance ...........................................................................................................................Hon.

Carole James Minister of Advanced Education, Skills and Training..................................................................................................... Hon. Melanie Mark Minister of Agriculture.........................................................................................................................................................Hon. Lana Popham Attorney General.................................................................................................................................................................Hon.

David Eby, QC Minister of Children and Family Development ............................................................................................................ Hon. Katrine Conroy Minister of State for Child Care...................................................................................................................................... Hon. Katrina Chen Minister of Citizens’ Services...................................................................................................................................................Hon.

Anne Kang Minister of Education ............................................................................................................................................................ Hon. Rob Fleming Minister of Energy, Mines and Petroleum Resources ..................................................................................................... Hon. Bruce Ralston Minister of Environment and Climate Change Strategy............................................................................................. Hon.

George Heyman Minister of Forests, Lands, Natural Resource Operations and Rural Development ..............................................Hon. Doug Donaldson Minister of Health .....................................................................................................................................................................Hon. Adrian Dix Minister of Indigenous Relations and Reconciliation ......................................................................................................... Hon.

Scott Fraser Minister of Jobs, Economic Development and Competitiveness.............................................................................Hon. Michelle Mungall Minister of State for Trade...............................................................................................................................................Hon. George Chow Minister of Labour ...................................................................................................................................................................Hon.

Harry Bains Minister of Mental Health and Addictions............................................................................................................................ Hon. Judy Darcy Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing.................................................................................................................. Hon. Selina Robinson Minister of Public Safety and Solicitor General ........................................................................................................... Hon.

Mike Farnworth Minister of Social Development and Poverty Reduction..............................................................................................Hon. Shane Simpson Minister of Tourism, Arts and Culture.....................................................................................................................................Hon. Lisa Beare Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure................................................................................................................ Hon.

Claire Trevena LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY Leader of the Official Opposition................................................................................................................................Andrew Wilkinson, QC Leader of the Third Party .................................................................................................................................................................Adam Olsen Deputy Speaker................................................................................................................................................................................

Raj Chouhan Assistant Deputy Speaker............................................................................................................................................................. Simon Gibson Deputy Chair, Committee of the Whole ................................................................................................................ Spencer Chandra Herbert Acting Clerk of the Legislative Assembly...............................................................................................................................

Kate Ryan-Lloyd Clerk Assistant — Committees and Interparliamentary Relations ..........................................................................................Susan Sourial Associate Law Clerk ..............................................................................................................................................Loredana Catalli-Sonier, QC Law Clerk and Parliamentary Counsel............................................................................................................................................ S.

Suzie Seo Acting Sergeant-at-Arms..................................................................................................................................................................Greg Nelson

ALPHABETICAL LIST OF MEMBERS Ashton, Dan (BC Liberal) ......................................................................... Penticton Bains, Hon. Harry (NDP)................................................................ Surrey-Newton Barnett, Donna (BC Liberal) .....................................................Cariboo-Chilcotin Beare, Hon. Lisa (NDP)..............................................

Maple Ridge–Pitt Meadows Begg, Garry (NDP) .......................................................................Surrey-Guildford Bernier, Mike (BC Liberal) .........................................................Peace River South Bond, Shirley (BC Liberal)...........................................Prince George–Valemount Brar, Jagrup (NDP).......................................................................Surrey-Fleetwood Cadieux, Stephanie (BC Liberal)........................................................

Surrey South Chandra Herbert, Spencer (NDP) .......................................Vancouver–West End Chen, Hon. Katrina (NDP)...................................................... Burnaby-Lougheed Chouhan, Raj (NDP) .................................................................Burnaby-Edmonds Chow, Hon. George (NDP).................................................Vancouver-Fraserview Clovechok, Doug (BC Liberal) ..................................Columbia River–Revelstoke Coleman, Rich (BC Liberal) ................................................................ Langley East Conroy, Hon.

Katrine (NDP)...........................................................Kootenay West Darcy, Hon. Judy (NDP) ............................................................. New Westminster Davies, Dan (BC Liberal) ........................................................... Peace River North de Jong, Michael, QC (BC Liberal) ..............................................Abbotsford West Dean, Mitzi (NDP)................................................................ Esquimalt-Metchosin D’Eith, Bob (NDP) ................................................................Maple Ridge–Mission Dix, Hon.

Adrian (NDP)....................................................... Vancouver-Kingsway Donaldson, Hon. Doug (NDP)...................................................................... Stikine Eby, Hon. David, QC (NDP).............................................. Vancouver–Point Grey Elmore, Mable (NDP).........................................................Vancouver-Kensington Farnworth, Hon. Mike (NDP) ........................................................Port Coquitlam Fleming, Hon. Rob (NDP) ......................................................

Victoria–Swan Lake Foster, Eric (BC Liberal).............................................................Vernon-Monashee Fraser, Hon. Scott (NDP) ..................................................Mid Island–Pacific Rim Furstenau, Sonia (BC Green Party) .............................................Cowichan Valley Gibson, Simon (BC Liberal) ...................................................Abbotsford-Mission Glumac, Rick (NDP).........................................................Port Moody–Coquitlam Heyman, Hon. George (NDP) ................................................Vancouver-Fairview Horgan, Hon.

John (NDP) ................................................ Langford–Juan de Fuca Hunt, Marvin (BC Liberal) ........................................................ Surrey-Cloverdale Isaacs, Joan (BC Liberal) .......................................... Coquitlam–Burke Mountain James, Hon. Carole (NDP).................................................... Victoria–Beacon Hill Johal, Jas (BC Liberal).................................................Richmond-Queensborough Kahlon, Ravi (NDP)............................................................................... Delta North Kang, Hon.

Anne (NDP)......................................................... Burnaby–Deer Lake Kyllo, Greg (BC Liberal)..............................................................................Shuswap Larson, Linda (BC Liberal) .............................................. Boundary-Similkameen Lee, Michael (BC Liberal) ........................................................Vancouver-Langara Leonard, Ronna-Rae (NDP) ..................................................... Courtenay-Comox Letnick, Norm (BC Liberal).............................................

Kelowna–Lake Country Ma, Bowinn (NDP) .....................................................North Vancouver–Lonsdale Malcolmson, Sheila (NDP) ........................................................................Nanaimo Mark, Hon. Melanie (NDP) .......................................Vancouver–Mount Pleasant Martin, John (BC Liberal)....................................................................... Chilliwack Milobar, Peter (BC Liberal)..................................... Kamloops–North Thompson Morris, Mike (BC Liberal) ........................................... Prince George–Mackenzie Mungall, Hon.

Michelle (NDP)......................................................Nelson-Creston Oakes, Coralee (BC Liberal) ............................................................ Cariboo North Olsen, Adam (BC Green Party)............................ Saanich North and the Islands Paton, Ian (BC Liberal).......................................................................... Delta South Plecas, Hon. Darryl (Ind.) ........................................................... Abbotsford South Polak, Mary (BC Liberal) ............................................................................. Langley Popham, Hon.

Lana (NDP)............................................................... Saanich South Ralston, Hon. Bruce (NDP) ............................................................Surrey-Whalley Redies, Tracy (BC Liberal) .......................................................Surrey–White Rock Reid, Linda (BC Liberal) ................................................. Richmond South Centre Rice, Jennifer (NDP) ............................................................................. North Coast Robinson, Hon.

Selina (NDP) .........................................Coquitlam-Maillardville Ross, Ellis (BC Liberal)................................................................................... Skeena Routledge, Janet (NDP) ....................................................................Burnaby North Routley, Doug (NDP) ................................................. Nanaimo–North Cowichan Rustad, John (BC Liberal) ................................................................Nechako Lakes Shypitka, Tom (BC Liberal) ..............................................................

Kootenay East Simons, Nicholas (NDP) ......................................... Powell River–Sunshine Coast Simpson, Hon. Shane (NDP)..................................................Vancouver-Hastings Sims, Jinny (NDP) ........................................................................ Surrey-Panorama Singh, Rachna (NDP) .........................................................Surrey–Green Timbers Stewart, Ben (BC Liberal) ................................................................. Kelowna West Stilwell, Michelle (BC Liberal)...............................................

Parksville-Qualicum Stone, Todd (BC Liberal)..........................................Kamloops–South Thompson Sturdy, Jordan (BC Liberal)........................................ West Vancouver–Sea to Sky Sullivan, Sam (BC Liberal)................................................ Vancouver–False Creek Sultan, Ralph (BC Liberal) ...........................................West Vancouver–Capilano Tegart, Jackie (BC Liberal) ................................................................. Fraser-Nicola Thomson, Steve (BC Liberal)......................................................

Kelowna-Mission Thornthwaite, Jane (BC Liberal) ...............................North Vancouver–Seymour Throness, Laurie (BC Liberal) .......................................................Chilliwack-Kent Trevena, Hon. Claire (NDP) ................................................................North Island Wat, Teresa (BC Liberal) ................................................. Richmond North Centre Weaver, Dr.

Andrew (Ind.)................................................Oak Bay–Gordon Head Wilkinson, Andrew, QC (BC Liberal) ................................Vancouver-Quilchena Y ap, John (BC Liberal)............................................................Richmond-Steveston LIST OF MEMBERS BY RIDING Abbotsford-Mission............................................................................Simon Gibson Abbotsford South....................................................................... Hon. Darryl Plecas Abbotsford West......................................................................

Michael de Jong, QC Boundary-Similkameen...................................................................... Linda Larson Burnaby–Deer Lake....................................................................... Hon. Anne Kang Burnaby-Edmonds................................................................................Raj Chouhan Burnaby-Lougheed .................................................................... Hon. Katrina Chen Burnaby North .................................................................................

Janet Routledge Cariboo-Chilcotin .............................................................................Donna Barnett Cariboo North.................................................................................... Coralee Oakes Chilliwack ............................................................................................... John Martin Chilliwack-Kent ...............................................................................Laurie Throness Columbia River–Revelstoke .........................................................

Doug Clovechok Coquitlam–Burke Mountain.................................................................. Joan Isaacs Coquitlam-Maillardville ...................................................... Hon. Selina Robinson Courtenay-Comox................................................................... Ronna-Rae Leonard Cowichan Valley .............................................................................

Sonia Furstenau Delta North.............................................................................................Ravi Kahlon Delta South ..................................................................................................Ian Paton Esquimalt-Metchosin ..............................................................................Mitzi Dean Fraser-Nicola .........................................................................................

Jackie Tegart Kamloops–North Thompson .............................................................Peter Milobar Kamloops–South Thompson..................................................................Todd Stone Kelowna–Lake Country .....................................................................Norm Letnick Kelowna-Mission ..............................................................................

Steve Thomson Kelowna West ..........................................................................................Ben Stewart Kootenay East.......................................................................................Tom Shypitka Kootenay West........................................................................ Hon. Katrine Conroy Langford–Juan de Fuca .............................................................. Hon. John Horgan Langley .....................................................................................................

Mary Polak Langley East.........................................................................................Rich Coleman Maple Ridge–Mission.............................................................................. Bob D’Eith Maple Ridge–Pitt Meadows............................................................Hon. Lisa Beare Mid Island–Pacific Rim................................................................ Hon. Scott Fraser Nanaimo......................................................................................

Sheila Malcolmson Nanaimo–North Cowichan............................................................... Doug Routley Nechako Lakes........................................................................................ John Rustad Nelson-Creston ................................................................... Hon. Michelle Mungall New Westminster........................................................................... Hon. Judy Darcy North Coast ...........................................................................................

Jennifer Rice North Island.............................................................................. Hon. Claire Trevena North Vancouver–Lonsdale................................................................... Bowinn Ma North Vancouver–Seymour........................................................Jane Thornthwaite Oak Bay–Gordon Head............................................................Dr.

Andrew Weaver Parksville-Qualicum.......................................................................Michelle Stilwell Peace River North ................................................................................... Dan Davies Peace River South ................................................................................ Mike Bernier Penticton ................................................................................................. Dan Ashton Port Coquitlam...................................................................... Hon.

Mike Farnworth Port Moody–Coquitlam.......................................................................Rick Glumac Powell River–Sunshine Coast....................................................... Nicholas Simons Prince George–Mackenzie....................................................................Mike Morris Prince George–Valemount ..................................................................

Shirley Bond Richmond North Centre..........................................................................Teresa Wat Richmond-Queensborough.........................................................................Jas Johal Richmond South Centre ......................................................................... Linda Reid Richmond-Steveston ...................................................................................

John Y ap Saanich North and the Islands .............................................................Adam Olsen Saanich South .............................................................................Hon. Lana Popham Shuswap...................................................................................................... Greg Kyllo Skeena........................................................................................................... Ellis Ross Stikine....................................................................................Hon.

Doug Donaldson Surrey-Cloverdale ................................................................................ Marvin Hunt Surrey-Fleetwood.....................................................................................Jagrup Brar Surrey–Green Timbers........................................................................Rachna Singh Surrey-Guildford......................................................................................Garry Begg Surrey-Newton ..............................................................................Hon.

Harry Bains Surrey-Panorama ...................................................................................... Jinny Sims Surrey South ................................................................................ Stephanie Cadieux Surrey-Whalley ......................................................................... Hon. Bruce Ralston Surrey–White Rock .............................................................................. Tracy Redies Vancouver-Fairview.............................................................. Hon.

George Heyman Vancouver–False Creek........................................................................ Sam Sullivan Vancouver-Fraserview...............................................................Hon. George Chow Vancouver-Hastings ............................................................... Hon. Shane Simpson Vancouver-Kensington....................................................................... Mable Elmore Vancouver-Kingsway..................................................................... Hon.

Adrian Dix Vancouver-Langara................................................................................ Michael Lee Vancouver–Mount Pleasant..................................................... Hon. Melanie Mark Vancouver–Point Grey ............................................................Hon.

David Eby, QC Vancouver-Quilchena........................................................Andrew Wilkinson, QC Vancouver–West End .....................................................Spencer Chandra Herbert Vernon-Monashee ....................................................................................Eric Foster Victoria–Beacon Hill.................................................................. Hon. Carole James Victoria–Swan Lake.................................................................... Hon. Rob Fleming West Vancouver–Capilano...................................................................

Ralph Sultan West Vancouver–Sea to Sky................................................................Jordan Sturdy Party Standings: BC Liberal 42; NDP 41; Independent 2; BC Green Party 2

CONTENTS Thursday, February 20, 2020 Afternoon Sitting Page Orders of the Day Budget Debate (continued) .................................................................................................................................................. 11077 J. Sims S. Sullivan Hon. S. Simpson T. Wat S. Furstenau J. Routledge N. Letnick R. Kahlon R. Sultan Hon. D. Eby J. Thornthwaite

THURSDAY , FEBRUARY 20, 2020 The House met at 1:32 p.m. [Mr. Speaker in the chair.] Orders of the Day Hon. M. Farnworth: I call continued budget debate. Budget Debate (continued) J. Sims: As I was saying earlier, it is a privilege to be here representing the constituents of Surrey-Panorama, to stand up here and speak in support of a very prudent and well-thought-out budget that keeps the people at its centre. [R. Chouhan in the chair.] This is in the context of B.C. having a triple-A credit rat- ing.

We’ve got the highest growth rate, the lowest unem- ployment rate and, for the first time in over a decade, I would say, people receiving the much-needed relief they need in areas like child care and other supports. The Fin- ance Minister, as I said previously, is also focused like a laser to make sure that people are at the centre of this budget and that the budget is also about growing jobs. As I look at this budget that was presented just a few days ago, I see in it just so much that is good for the eco- nomy now that we do have a government that is actually putting people first and is investing in people.

I look at the economic boost for the province as we look at the invest- ments that are taking place in infrastructure. [1:35 p.m.] This infrastructure is right around the province in every corner. It is creating jobs. Budget 2020 does see the largest investment in B.C. history in the infrastructure we need to keep moving forward, whether it’s schools, hospitals, high- ways or housing. This is the much-needed infrastructure that was neg- lected. I can say that coming from Surrey, B.C. and having over 7,000 students sitting in portables before this last election.

I’m proud to say that over 7,000 seats have now either been built or are in the process of being built and in the pipeline. When I take a look at the infrastructure spending in health…. Y ou know, I’ve heard people say across the way that this budget has nothing in there about jobs. Well, when you build schools, when you build hospitals, when you build child care centres and when you build roads and highways, guess what? It’s people who are building those. It’s jobs. It’s jobs that are decent-paying and that help to grow our economy.

We’re not going to take any lessons from the previous government that neglected the infrastructure and neg- lected British Columbians while they focused on the top 1 or 2 percent. When I look at the health care investments in infra- structure alone…. I’m not talking about all the other amazing things that have been happening in health care. From the capital fund, health care is going to be spending — in the 2020 budget, it’s right in there — $6.4 billion to build and expand hospitals and health facilities and for medical equipment. That is a lot of money.

Those hospit- als are not just in the Lower Mainland, as some people will say. These are new or upgraded hospitals in Williams Lake, Quesnel, Trail, Nanaimo, Cowichan Valley, Fort St. James, Terrace, Surrey, Dawson Creek, Richmond, Burnaby, Van- couver and North Vancouver. As these hospitals and the expansions are occurring, guess what. That brings work into those communities. At the same time, it builds the much-needed infrastructure that we do need for our population — infrastructure, as I said, that was grossly, grossly neglected by the previous government.

Now let me talk a little bit about transportation: $7.4 bil- lion for priority projects, including bridge replacements. Once again, I’m very happy that Pattullo Bridge, linking South Fraser with North, is right there, and it’s part of these highway expansions and corridor improvements. Once again, these projects are not just in the Lower Mainland. The highways are being improved right around this province. The infrastructure creates jobs, and that helps to support families.

For infrastructure — this is from the capital funding alone, and I think it’s really good that the Minister of Edu- cation should just happen to walk in — we are build- ing schools and doing seismic upgrading at a pace that is unheard of. I’ve heard that from trustees in Surrey, who are so happy with the rate of schools being built in Surrey. In education, $2.8 billion — not million but billion — is being spent to replace, renovate or expand the K-to-12 schools. Some of these — many, we hope — are going to include child care spaces and neighbourhood learning centres.

Once again, as schools are being built, what is that about? That is about jobs. That is about people working to build schools, bringing a decent paycheque home and helping to support families in those communities. [1:40 p.m.] Y ou know, it’s not just the K-to-12 sector that is getting a great big focus in capital spending. It’s also post-secondary education — $3.1 billion to expand institutions, help meet workforce needs and build student housing.

When you build infrastructure, whether it’s at post- secondary, K to 12, transportation or health, it creates jobs, good-paying jobs that are occurring right around this province. The Minister of Housing earlier really pointed out the great work that’s being done in that area. But in this budget in this year, 2020, there is $1 billion 11077

for affordable housing for seniors, Indigenous peoples, individuals and families. When you’re taking a look at the amount of money that is being spent on infrastructure, this is not about bridges or roads or hospitals. Of course, we need all of those. This is also one of the best economic investments any government can make and that is to replace the crumbling architecture, infrastructure that exists. Y ou know, we’ve heard a lot of rhetoric here — and I suppose it is the place for rhetoric — and we’ve heard a lot of comments that, I think, deserve a prize for chutzpah. I’m beginning to think of those.

We’ve got the Leader of the Opposition who did say that there is going to be no hospital for Surrey. I was thinking that it takes real audacity to say that in this House, when as the Minister of Citizens’ Services, it was that minister, now the Leader of the Opposition, who sold the land in Sur- rey-Panorama where a hospital was going to be built, des- pite the fact that the Premier from the other side had had a couple of press conferences right on that site. We’ve done a capital plan, announced straight away. Everything is being expedited. A business plan is in pro- cess.

When that is done, it will go to procurement. But in the meantime, we bought land where the hospital is going to be built. The reason I say it takes real chutzpah is, first, you sell the land where a hospital can be built, and then you say there’s going to be no hospital, and you go down that road. It just seems absolutely bizarre. Also, having read some of the things — that nothing is happening in Surrey, and the Surrey MLAs are kind of…. What are they doing? I dug up capital investments that are happening in Surrey. This is just a few. This is in the 2020 budget. B.C.

Housing is providing $29 million in capital funding through the Supportive Housing Fund program to RainCity Housing and Support Society’s 130-unit trans- itional housing project located at 9810 Foxglove Drive. That’s very specific, and it’s in the budget. George Greenaway Elementary seismic upgrade, $11.8 million. That’s in the budget. Holly Elementary seismic upgrade, $9.6 million. That’s in the budget. Sullivan Ele- mentary School’s addition to provide up to 200 new much- needed student spaces, $13.5 million.

Grandview Heights Secondary School, a new secondary school to provide 1,500 student spaces, $82 million in total with $63 million coming from the province. Maddaugh Road Elementary School, a new elementary school to provide 605 student spaces, with a neighbourhood learn- ing centre, $31.2 million. Regent Road Elementary School. I could go on with the schools, but the list is quite long. I do know that there are other people who want to speak. I also want to talk about Pattullo Bridge.

I had the pleas- ure of being with the Premier and the Minister of Trans- portation and Infrastructure as they announced the pro- curement process has been completed. What comes next? It’s shovels in the ground. That’s over a billion-dollar pro- ject that is going to create good-paying jobs and be a boost for the economy for the Lower Mainland. [1:45 p.m.] I mentioned the hospitals earlier. Of course, we’ve had so many other improvements in Surrey when it comes to child care. I read those into Hansard last week. But let me tell you.

Every time I go out, I have a parent or a grandpar- ent who approaches me and says: “Y ou are doing an amaz- ing job with child care. ” I’m also reminded…. I’ve got the Minister of Agricul- ture. I was talking with her today and saying what an amazing job she has done with this file, because she listened. She listened to the concerns from the farmers about additional needs for accommodation, and she accommodated. That’s what this side of the House does. That’s what this government does. We listen to people, and then we make sure that we are responsive.

As I look at the budget, one of the things that really warmed my heart this time…. Never mind the MSP premiums gone, being the largest, largest tax break in B.C. history. For me, one of the most touching ones was the special grant for students. Instead of waiting until they fin- ish their courses, these grants will make it so much easi- er for students to access post-secondary education, wheth- er it’s for two years or whether it’s a longer diploma pro- gram or whether it’s a degree or whether they’re working towards their red seal.

Y ou combine that with the B.C. child opportunity bene- fit and combine that with child care, and you know that families are saying: “Y es, this government cares about the people of British Columbia. Y es, this government is look- ing at affordability. ” It’s not in a definition, by the way. It’s about the real dif- ference it makes to people’s lives when they don’t have to pay MSP premiums, when they can get $10-a-day child care, when they can get affordable housing, when they are going to now be getting a B.C. child opportunity benefit that goes to the age of 18. It doesn’t stop at six.

It goes to the age of 18. All those things…. Let me mention some of the things we had done previously, like the tolls having been gone. Also, let me say, as a closing comment, it is an absolute pleasure and a delight to stand in this House and speak in support of a budget that puts people at the centre of the budget and makes decisions that are good for British Columbians. S. Sullivan: I’m pleased to speak to the throne speech and the budget. I’ d, first of all, like to thank the constitu- ents of Vancouver–False Creek for their trust in electing me as their representative. We have a very remarkable riding.

I call Vancouver–False Creek downtown British Colum- bia. It has got so many major businesses, major cultural institutions and wonderful tourism facilities. We have, basically, Science World for so many children, which helps 11078 British Columbia Debates Thursday, February 20, 2020

to show them the wonders of science and technology; Granville Island, one of the most important tourism des- tinations; the art gallery; B.C. Place; Rogers Arena. [1:50 p.m.] We are actually the largest mining area, mining riding constituency, in British Columbia. I have about 1,000 min- ing companies right in Vancouver–False Creek. Many downtown people who live and work downtown don’t always understand that we are very dependent on the resource sector of British Columbia. We also have a lot of technology companies. Amazon is moving in very shortly just down the street from where I live and where I work.

They are going to bring in many thousands of workers. We have a very interesting demographic profile as well. More and more, we’re getting young children and school- aged children. We are also very heavily weighted in young people, who are attracted to the opportunities of down- town, both working and recreation. I’ d like to acknowledge and thank some people who have made it possible for me to be here. First of all, my wife, Lynn, who is incredible. She does so much to enable me to do what I do. I couldn’t do it without her.

I’ d also like to acknowledge Cris Garvey, my constituency assist- ant, and her team for the great work they do in represent- ing me and representing the citizens to Victoria. I’ d also like to acknowledge my riding association. They do a tre- mendous job of supporting me. First of all, before I go too far into the budget, I’ d like to just acknowledge that the throne speech spoke of some people that we lost last year. Some good friends and people that I have great memories of, and I will cherish those memories always. B.C.

Lee, Paul Fraser, Wayson Choy, May Brown, Gordon Smith — all of these great British Columbians that we will truly miss. My concern about this budget is that I believe that it is actually harmful to our economy. It does threaten the well- being of many of our future citizens. First of all, I’ d like to just point out one deficiency that I’m disappointed in. We have a lot of school children in Vancouver–False Creek who are not able to go to school in their own neighbour- hood.

Actually, if you look at the map of Vancouver, it is all of the schools around the downtown, in and around, that are the ones that cannot find enough space and are having to transfer students to different schools. The great hope that we had was for the Olympic Village school. I know the minister has made some efforts on that file, but the reality is we have a lot of parents who have moved into a high-density urban area thinking they were going to live the urban life in a very environmentally responsible way. Now what they do is they drive their chil- dren to school and then drive back home and then walk to work.

It’s very unfortunate. I note just in a tweet this morning that Brent Toderian, the planner who actually set up many of the urban areas that we enjoy today, moved in right beside Crosstown School and has just been informed his child will not be able to attend the school. A great disappointment for him, who has worked so hard to create an urban environment where families can thrive. To explain some of my concerns about the budget, I’m going to use a couple of different metaphors. The first is a rocket.

Now, our last term of government left about a $2 billion surplus, and clearly the economy was booming. [1:55 p.m.] What I like to explain is that when a rocket is going up, the engines are full blast. When you turn the engine off, the rocket still goes up. It goes up for a while. Then it starts to go slower and slower, and it starts to sputter and turn down. Now, we do still have surpluses, which I am very pleased about, but we have to remember how those surpluses came about. They came about with great spending increases but also great tax increases. So we saw about a $5.7 billion increase in taxes.

Next year will be $8.8 billion. When I got here, we were under $50 billion total budget. Now we’re looking at $60 billion. The incredible, breathtaking increase in spending and taxes is a great concern to me. We see 23 new or increased taxes. The second metaphor I’ d like to describe is that of a garden. Y ou can really think of an economy as a garden. It’s something that you cultivate, that you cherish and that you look after. When we talk about making a budget, we’re not just talking about government revenues and expenses. We’re talking about how we tend to this garden.

What we do when we do a budget is we think about what we are going to take out of the garden. How are we going to nurture it? How are we going to look after it? What are we going to put back in? So I think of the economy as a garden. What we’re doing right now, I think, has some long- term implications. When I want to have a good garden, I want to ask a gardener. When I want to produce a good economy, I like to ask an economist. I believe that this is one of the serious problems of this budget. It does not con- form to good economic thinking.

One of the problems with this budget is it represents a philosophy that believes that you can just legislate a good garden; you can legislate the market. It may be good polit- ics, in some ways, short term, but it’s not good economics. What we need to realize is that the economy and the market has certain ways that it will respond and not respond, just like a garden. We cannot just will more pro- duce. Y ou can’t take more than is sustainable. If you start to do that, it may be good in the short term.

It may give you what you want to extract every organic thing that you can get, but it doesn’t result in long-term sustainability. Now, there was a couple of comments in the budget that I found very troubling. One was the comment: “The old practice of hoarding surpluses at the expense of cit- izens is over. ” I find that very troubling. What do we do Thursday, February 20, 2020 British Columbia Debates 11079

with surpluses? Hoard it? What does that mean? Do we just keep it? What we have is an economy where we have $66 billion in debt. What you do with a surplus is you pay down your debt. Now, we know what deficits are and debts are. What they are, are deferred taxes. So when people are talking about how this is such a great budget for the future, for the future citizens, what it is, is deferred taxes. Y oung people are going to have to pay these taxes.

When we have the opportunity to have a surplus, that’s when we use that surplus to put back into the garden so that it can produce for future generations. [2:00 p.m.] Now this government is very vulnerable right now. Right now the interest rates are record low, and it’s been that way for a long time. But eventually, those rates are going up. At that point, we are going to be very vulnerable, because we’re going to now have to pay much more to ser- vice the $66 billion. I think this is very shortsighted. A couple of other comments that were made. Rent con- trols. They’re going to double down on the rent controls.

If you look at the supply of rental housing over the past — well, the current supply of housing…. Most, possibly 80 percent to 90 percent, of all the rental housing was built before 1973. Our rental housing is getting old. It’s getting decrepit, and it needs to be renewed. Now, why was it that rental housing stopped being built in 1973? That’s when a former NDP government brought in rent controls. It just stopped rental housing cold. We need more rental housing. We are getting some more rental housing now that there have been more incentives offered.

There are programs, especially muni- cipal programs, where they’ve offered a lot of incentives, and that has brought some rental housing providers back to the table. But what we’ve found in Vancouver…. I know, just in the last year or two, several rental housing proposals were actually withdrawn. It was so uneconomic to do it that they have withdrawn it. So I’m feeling very vulnerable now in the downtown, with all of my neighbours. We’ve got a booming economy in the high-tech sector — many people moving in. As I say, Amazon will be arriv- ing and Shopify.

A number of companies have announced that they will be setting up shop in Vancouver, without the additional rental housing that will be available. That’s a recipe for disaster. We are going to have increased house- rental rent prices. We see efforts that have been made to help the housing supply problem. I notice the housing plan that was announced previously. Almost all…. Well, the first 15 points are all about demand suppression to try to address housing affordability by depressing demand.

A number of other points were on special housing, providing housing for special, vulnerable groups, but nowhere can I find any- thing about housing for regular folks, people in the market who are buying market housing. There has been a theory that this government seems to have endorsed that our house prices, our high house prices, are caused by foreigners. Now, anybody who reads history…. Y ou know, the Romans used to blame the Carthaginians for their high house prices.

Right throughout history, they’re always blaming foreigners for what was really a locally instigated problem. [2:05 p.m.] We are fortunate that the federal government decided to get to the bottom of why we have our high house prices. They authorized the CMHC — gave them $1.5 million and did a landmark study just a few years ago, three years ago, on what was behind the high house prices. They had 30 master’s and PhD economists and access to all of the Stat- istics Canada data.

They concluded that 75 percent of the rise in house prices could be attributed to increasing pop- ulation, increasing income and low mortgage rates. That was 75 percent. They went to look for the other 25 percent, and they found it, basically, in the supply elasticity of the housing market. Basically, what they concluded was that Vancou- ver has a 0.25 elasticity, meaning that basically for every rise in prices, where a normal market would create, say, ten houses, Vancouver supplies 2½ houses. So basically, we’re saying that Vancouver has a real supply problem, a supply elasticity problem. Two parts to that.

One is geography. We do have a con- strained geography. The other is government policy. So government policy, according to the C.D. Howe Institute in a report called Through the Roof…. They concluded that government policies are basically doubling the price of housing. So our housing is twice as much as it should be, just because of government policy. We have seen this caricature of the fentanyl-pushing, casino-gambling, money launderer that is causing our house prices to rise.

Now, the government did do a report on money laundering, especially through casinos, and identified $100 million, they believe, in ten years. That’s $10 million a year. That was the first report. Now, remember that $10 million would buy one starter mansion per year. Highly unlikely that such an impact would cause house prices to rise. Even 100 times that much would not even make a dent on house prices. The government did a follow-up report on money laun- dering and found that the No. 1 area of money laundering was Alberta. The second most dense and critical area of money laundering was Ontario.

The third and fourth were Saskatchewan and Manitoba. This is from the government report. British Columbia is No. 5 in the country. It’s interesting that it’s only in British Columbia that people are claiming that money laundering is affecting prices. We don’t hear that from Saskatchewan and Man- itoba, even though they have more money laundering, apparently, according to the government report. The government report also identified that 7.5 percent of money laundering comes from East Asia. That includes Japan, Korea, China — 7.5 percent. So 90 percent of 11080 British Columbia Debates Thursday, February 20, 2020

money laundering came from the United States and Europe. The caricature that the Asian, specifically Chinese — foreigner, so-called — participation in the housing market is causing house prices to rise is very questionable and very damaging to the community. This kind of talk…. Statistics Canada recently tried to get more knowledge on what was going on behind the house price problem, especially the foreign buyer problem. They studied Ontario, British Columbia and, just to have another bal- ance, they chose another province and decided it would be Nova Scotia.

It’s interesting to go on to the Statistics Canada website and take a look. [2:10 p.m.] The first thing you’ll note is that British Columbia has…. Of all of its residential property, 3.7 percent of all British Columbia properties are owned by foreigners or non-residents. In Nova Scotia, it’s 3.8 percent. I was shocked. Excuse me? Nova Scotia has more foreign own- ership of property than British Columbia? Indeed, that’s what the numbers say. Now, there are three areas of British Columbia where non-resident buyers are higher than normal.

One of them is in Richmond, one of them is at UBC, and the other is downtown Vancouver. Now, even though those are very high, they balance off the rest to actually make foreign ownership less than Nova Scotia. What about UBC? Why is it that we have such high non-resident ownership there? Well, it turns out that almost 30 percent of the students at UBC are from other countries. It is common for parents or the students to pur- chase a home throughout their tenure. The stats don’t say how many non-residents sold their property, because it’s also common that once they finish their university, they sell it.

But it does make sense that because non-residents are basically funding a lot of the university, it would be normal to expect that they would have a high level of non- resident ownership. Richmond, of course, beside the airport, and downtown Vancouver…. We are, actually, a world city. We are a global city. Now, we notice that, in Vancouver, they have pub- lished the data on the vacant home tax. There are 780 vacant homes that have to pay the vacant home tax. We’re looking at…. I believe it’s about 300-some-odd homes in Vancouver. Less than 1,000 are vacant. We used to hear about 25,000 empty homes.

The number is 780. We’ve seen that, in fact, most of those so-called empty homes are empty condos — 500 of them. The majority are empty con- dos. Now, we have situations — and I know them, personally — where people invest, build a company in Vancouver. They don’t live here. They live in Silicon Valley, and they fly up to Vancouver regularly to look out for their investment, their company. They are now being penalized because they’re so-called speculators. They bought a condo near their business. They’re providing jobs, and they’re called speculators. One particular person has left.

He was building a home, a very nice home, on the west side of Vancouver. I was approached by an entrepreneur who was distraught that he was losing his mentor and his investor, who had decided to leave Vancouver and British Columbia because of the way he was being treated — called a speculator and keeping an empty home. All over the world in major cities…. For example, I have a neighbour in my building. He lives in Abbotsford, but he has a condo in downtown Vancouver. He has a company that is in air-conditioning — constantly in Van- couver doing work, supporting the people who live there.

He’s called a speculator, having an empty home. This kind of disgusting treatment of people who are valuable and important parts of our community…. [2:15 p.m.] I have a neighbour who is very distraught as well. She has grown up — born and lived — in Vancouver. She’s on the condo board. She’s a member of her church. But she lives in Philadelphia with her husband while they’re waiting until their retirement, when they’re going to come back. She’s being threatened with this empty homes tax. She’s being called a speculator. She looks forward to mov- ing back to Vancouver full-time.

She’s still a member of the board, a member of the church and is treated in this way. A university professor on a three-year term in Aus- tralia, speculator. And a person that I used to meet in the bank…. Down at my bank, somehow we’ d always end up in the lineup together. He’s from San Francisco and loves Vancouver, loves British Columbia, loves the val- ues. He said: “Y ou guys come down to Palm Springs. I go to Vancouver. ” Now he’s being charged as a speculat- or, the empty homes tax. He said: “I thought I left this in the U.S., this anti-foreigner sentiment. I come here.

I thought I got away from it. ” The reputational damage that this kind of behaviour, this fiscal behaviour…. It’s incalculable. What it does…. We’ve had many situations in our condos downtown where the U.S. citizens are leaving. They don’t want to pay this tax. They have been really important members of our community. I was with a group of people who all had second homes. Some of them had purchased. They’re in British Columbia. Some of them live in rural areas. When you live in an urban area, you have a second home often in a rural area. But you know what?

People in rural areas will have their second homes in urban areas. They look at this as their summer home. And they are being charged as speculators. A lot of damage has been done to many people. A lot of Americans have left. I think some of the people who put these taxes together assumed they were going to be tar- geted at other people, but it turns out that the people who have been hurt…. Many of them are U.S. citizens who love Vancouver, have looked at Vancouver and British Colum- Thursday, February 20, 2020 British Columbia Debates 11081

bia as a real haven away from this kind of anti-foreign atti- tude, and here we have it right here in our province. The budget also took aim at high-income earners. Cer- tainly, it’s taken aim at people who have expensive houses, very punitive taxes. This looks and certainly feels to some people like a type of class war. And what it is doing…. It’s not just getting money out of wealthy people. It’s actually chasing money away, chasing some of the people who are the investors and who put their money into our economy. Deputy Speaker: Thank you, Member. S.

Sullivan: I have many more things to say, but I hope I got my point across. Thank you for allowing me to speak, Mr. Speaker. Hon. S. Simpson: I’m pleased to have the opportunity to join in debate around Budget 2020. I do want to start by saying thank you, certainly, to the people of Vancouver- Hastings for allowing me to be here. It’s a great privilege. I was thinking about this a little bit as I was preparing my thoughts for this speech.

As we come to the completion of this session, I know for myself and a number of my col- leagues who came in 2005, we will be completing about 15 years in this place by the end of this session. It’s been a remarkable privilege to serve the people of Vancouver- Hastings. [2:20 p.m.] As the member previous and other members have said, the reality is that there are always a lot of people for us to thank as we get to come here and do the work that we do. I certainly want to thank the staff who work for me, my staff in my constituency office, who do a great job.

I cer- tainly know that with my responsibilities as a member of executive council, I don’t get to be in my constituency as much as I might have been before. I’m very, very fortu- nate to have staff there who are focused on making sure the needs of the people of Vancouver-Hastings are met and that when they come through my doors, they are received by knowledgable, compassionate staff who are committed to doing the work to resolve their problems or ensure that they know the issues. It’s also very true….

I talk about my time on executive council — a huge thank-you to my staff in my office here, my ministerial office, who keep my life very much in order. For those who have been in a cabinet position, you all, I’m sure, very much appreciate the demands and the pushes and the pulls on your time that we need to address. It is the people around you who do such a remarkable job of help- ing to address that, moving forward. Finally, to my family. To Cate, who is just such a won- derful partner and a support, somebody who has consist- ently, over the years, just been a real rock, moving forward.

And to my daughter Shayla, who now lives over on this side of the water from Vancouver but has always been a great support and helps to keep me focused at times when we get to talk about things. I did mention my constituency of Vancouver-Hastings. It’s great constituency. I’m sure that there are 87 people in this room who would all talk about how great their con- stituency is, and that’s a good thing. But I know in my con- stituency, which is largely the one that I grew up in…. It’s a constituency, a community, that I’ve watched evolve over the years and the decades.

It’s changed, but throughout all of those changes that have come with an inner-city community in Vancouver, it’s always continued to have a foundation that I don’t think has wavered a lot. It’s been a foundation of families, of people who work hard, of people who believe in their com- munity, of people who are supportive of their communit- ies, of people who are generous with each other and of people who are concerned about each other. That’s some- thing that I’ve found has always been an inspiration to me as the MLA — to make sure that that’s what I reflect in the work that I do for my constituents.

It’s a constituency that’s diverse in a whole array of areas. About 40 percent of my constituents, their original lan- guages…. They’re Chinese speaking in their original lan- guages. It’s a community that has a lot of people who have challenges and struggles, but it also has significant afflu- ence as well. It’s a mixed bag, yet it continues to be a com- munity, as I said, of people who are generous with each other, people who have grace and people who care about their community, care about their neighbours and care about how they interact with each other. My ministry.

I’m going to talk about that a fair amount in terms of my comments today. I think, first, I want to just talk a little bit in general terms about the budget and about where the budget takes us, to my ministry. I know that it’s a budget that…. We have continued to have a balanced budget. We’ve continued to have an eco- nomy that has been at the top or right near the top of the economies across this country.

We have an economy that continues to show good, solid economic growth, even in times of economic uncertainty. [2:25 p.m.] There’s no doubt that we are seeing, globally and nation- ally, increasing levels of uncertainty around our economy. Some of it, much of it, influenced from external circum- stances, some of it from Canadian circumstances. We continue to have a strong economy. We continue to have an economy that allows this government to move for- ward on an agenda of affordability, of delivering services while continuing to maintain a solid economy.

We have an economy that we have seen continues to show solid growth in wage and income. That’s really important. When we look back and I reflect over the time that I’ve been in this place, part of the challenge, part of what I think created the affordability challenge that we have seen in British Columbia, the affordability challenge that our government has been focused on for the last couple of 11082 British Columbia Debates Thursday, February 20, 2020

years…. Much of that, I think, was driven by what was low wage growth. It was family incomes and incomes of indi- viduals that just were not keeping up. We’ve been doing a lot of work to try to support that and to ensure that we’re, in fact, enhancing that income growth. It’s more money into people’s pockets so that they have the opportunity to go and largely spend those dollars in their local communities, in communities like mine in Vancouver-Hastings and other communities across the province as we move forward.

We’ve seen an economy that, as was pointed out here, continues — and we will have balanced budgets for the next three years — moving forward. I heard the member previously. The member from False Creek talked about the large surpluses that were in some of the budgets of the pre- vious government. That’s true. There were large surpluses. But you know, government budgeting is different than cor- porate budgeting. Corporate budgeting says you want to get that bottom number to be as big as it can be. With gov- ernment, you have to balance.

I believe smart government budgeting is about ensuring you have fiscal responsibility — that you’re maintaining a good fiscal outlook, including balancing budgets — and ensuring that you’re investing, though, in people, in ser- vices, in infrastructure and in those things that the people of British Columbia, in this case, want to see. That has been the trick that our government has been engaged in for the last few years.

There have been signi- ficant increases in investments that have been aimed at people, aimed at communities, aimed at supporting people who are vulnerable; significant investments that ease affordability pressures for people; and significant invest- ments that create employment and jobs and opportunity, much of that on the capital and infrastructure side.

I think that the budget has found a good balance there, to be able to say we have surpluses, we have room, we have capacity there, but we’ve invested these dollars in the interests of the people of British Columbia and ensuring that the people of British Columbia are the beneficiaries of the investments that we’re making moving forward.

I want to take a good portion of my time to talk a little bit about my ministry, the work of my ministry and the work that we’re doing and how that work is supported by the initiatives in this budget and by this budget as a con- tinuing story, the continuing story of the efforts and work of our government. Y ou’ll know that one of the significant things that we advanced through my ministry was the poverty reduction strategy, which was put in place a year or so ago with TogetherBC.

It was a strategy that committed our gov- ernment, over the period of five years, to reduce overall poverty by 25 percent and child poverty by 50 percent. It’s a measure that…. We talked, at that time, of it being an all-of-government initiative, about it being about collaboration, about how no one ministry was going to make significant progress in achieving those objectives. It would be a responsibility of all of government and not just this government, not just the provincial government. But it would require local gov- ernments. It would require the federal government to play a role.

It would require community to play a role. It would require business to play a role. I’m really pleased that we have seen levels of collaboration and support that moved that philosophy forward. So it’s very positive. [2:30 p.m.] Here we’re seeing initiatives in this budget that add to the work that has already gone on. We see it in continuing to invest in child care. We know that child care is a corner- stone of the success of poverty reduction. [S.

Gibson in the chair.] It’s a cornerstone in terms of how it creates opportun- ities, particularly for single moms who are, oftentimes, escaping violent situations, where they’re looking to rebuild their lives and their family’s lives and their oppor- tunity for themselves and for their children. Child care provides a cornerstone for that, whether it’s for people to go back to school or whether it’s for people to go to employment.

We also know that child care is foundational in terms of supporting young people and supporting children to have the opportunity to build the foundations that they need to go on and be successful in their lives. I think about my daughter, who went through child care before heading off to kindergarten. There’s no doubt in my mind that much of the skill set that she’s developed and her interaction and social skills and problem-solving skills and that…. She started to learn those things in child care, and it was a very positive thing for her. We’ve also seen in this budget….

We’re going to realize this year one of the cornerstone pieces of the poverty reduction strategy. We’re looking for a 50 percent reduc- tion in child poverty. The child opportunity benefit that will kick in this year is critical to that. So 300,000 families across British Columbia are going to be supported by this. Many of those are families that are in poverty, or they’re families that are right on the bubble. They’re going to see benefits that will ensure that they will see $1,600 for their first child, $2,600 for two children and $3,400 for three children.

All that money that will be critical to their being able to make ends meet. It’s complementary to what the federal government has done and federal initiatives. It’s complementary to a num- ber of initiatives that we’ve put forward. But the child opportunity benefit is a cornerstone of addressing the issue of child poverty in this province, and I’m very excited that this year we’re going to see that money going into the pockets of families, moving forward. Another thing that we’re very keen about in the strategy…. We built the strategy on four foundations.

Cer- tainly, one of those was opportunity, an opportunity to Thursday, February 20, 2020 British Columbia Debates 11083

break the cycle of poverty. Part of that is giving people the chance to work. I had the opportunity, through the consultations we did around poverty reduction, the con- sultations we’ve just completed recently around access and inclusion and around disability issues…. It’s for people liv- ing with disabilities, saying: “I want a job. I want to go to work. I want to have the opportunity to have a better standard of living, but I want to also have the opportunity to make a contribution. ” We’ve enhanced the earning exemptions in this budget.

For a person with disabilities who was able to earn $12,000 a year before they saw any clawback on their assistance, that’s increased now to $15,000 a year. That creates incent- ive for people who are living with disability and people who are living with income assistance, who also are seeing significant increases in their earning exemptions, to have the opportunity to do some work, to earn some money and to enhance their lifestyle.

It becomes a good transition tool, I believe, to move us forward in the directions that we want to go around creating opportunities for people who want to break that cycle of poverty and move forward. Now, to do that requires support, particularly on the employment side, around creating work. That was part of the reason that we made the significant transitions and restructure of the WorkBC and the employment programs in British Columbia.

That was about creating greater opportunities for people who need more support — or need a little bit more help in terms of being able to get into the workforce and be successful getting into the workforce — and creating this new model that allows us to case-man- age people for up to a year and to support both an employ- er and an employee to be successful. [2:35 p.m.] We know if we can do that — if we can keep people in place for up to a year — the chances of them being success- ful in maintaining and keeping that job after they’ve been there for a year becomes much greater. That’s a real posit- ive.

It’s a positive that we should all be excited about, mov- ing forward. As part of that, of course, we’ve looked at wages. We’ve looked at the work that’s been done in the Ministry of Labour to continue to increase the minimum wage — a minimum wage that will, in the next year, go to $15.20 an hour, a minimum wage that will lift, again, a significant amount of people out of poverty. When we look at poverty in the province, there are about half a million people living in poverty in British Col- umbia, and about 40 percent of those are working poor. They go to work; they get a paycheque.

The paycheque doesn’t pay the bills; it doesn’t cover the costs. This is going to help make a difference there as we see this transition up to a full $15.20 an hour, moving forward. We also know that education is such a big piece of that. I think there are people who have said that the big equalizer is education. It is the opportunity to give young people education, to provide training and retrain- ing and education for people who are transitioning, maybe, from one opportunity, one employment and field of employment, to another because of economic changes and economic circumstances.

We’ve seen continued investments in education, ongo- ing investments. Those investments went from…. We saw the tuition waivers, which, for kids aging out of care, provided opportunities for those young people to be able to go and get a post-secondary degree and to have that degree paid for by the state. That’s just such a valuable tool in terms of creating opportunity for young people to move ahead and to succeed.

In this budget, we have taken the step that opens the door, through education access grants, to provide oppor- tunities for tens of thousands of students to be able to receive $4,000 of support to help pay for their education. We have all heard, time and time again for years and years, about the struggles of student debt, about how student debt hampers young people and how when you get out of school, it puts you right in the box from day one if you’re sitting on a huge student debt. Y ou’re going into the work- force to start your career, and you start it with huge debt.

This is another significant step in improving the circum- stance for young people looking to be able to get their edu- cation, to be able to be successful in their education — an education that takes them to the career and the opportun- ity that they want — and to do that without having crip- pling debt along the way. I talked about how, as we’ve done this work, we’ve also looked to partner with others. That’s really important. What I know about poverty reduction, about homeless- ness, which is so interconnected with issues of poverty, is that big provincial solutions probably aren’t going to work.

Solutions need to be a combination of provincial initiatives with local strategies, local supports and local infrastructure, whether it’s local governments, service providers or others in the community who come togeth- er to provide support. That’s part of the reason that we invested in and created the grants for the Union of B.C. Municipalities to be able to deliver grants to their member municipalities, to be able to set up poverty reduction committees within their communities that can look at how initiatives that are tar- geted in their communities might work.

We’re seeing pro- gress on that now, and the province is able to work closely around those issues. In a very similar vein, we’ve provided dollars to the Social Planning and Research Council of B.C. to be able to develop homelessness initiatives that are locally based. We know that local strategies are the cornerstone of address- ing homelessness, particularly if you look not just at the kind of housing-first approach, which is very important to homelessness, but at the prevention approach. We know that the reality of what happens in Cranbrook or in Castlegar versus in Vancouver is quite different.

We know that in smaller communities, often the service pro- 11084 British Columbia Debates Thursday, February 20, 2020

viders and others in those communities will know full well who the people in those communities are who are strug- gling and how they can be supported. We can work with them on those initiatives. In my ministry now, the home- lessness coordination branch works closely to advance those issues. [2:40 p.m.] Also, we passed legislation in the last sitting that changed a whole array of policies in the ministry — policies that, I would say, were punitive to people who are on income and disability assistance.

Taking that away — having people live with more respect and more dignity — has been a big part of the work that we’ve done: to change the culture of this ministry, to have it be a ministry that talks about respect, talks about dignity, talks about sup- porting opportunity and the creation of opportunity for people. We continue to do work around reimagining com- munity inclusion for persons with developmental and intellectual disabilities. The other piece that we’re working on and that I’m very keen about is that we have the social services sector roundtable, which has been going for a while now.

It really is bringing all of those critical non-profit and social service sector organizations together — who play such a critical role in the delivery of public services — and working more closely with them about what the relation- ship looks like between us on the contractual side and, maybe even more importantly, what the relationship looks like in how we engage as we address policy issues and how we move forward and look at what the vision around the delivery of social services is in British Columbia. All of these are issues that this budget, in so many dif- ferent ways, supports.

It puts more pieces in to build that foundation, a foundation that started in 2017 and that we have been building consistently on since that time. The Minister of Finance has added many more significant pieces to that in this budget. As we look at how we move forward, to give you a sense, it’s about a $400 million commitment to support these ini- tiatives that are advanced in this budget — about 400 mil- lion new dollars of initiatives to help us to get through and support those areas, moving forward. Obviously, it’s not just my ministry that is impacted by this budget.

We’ve seen remarkable work in the area of CleanBC. We know the challenge: to make sure that we are advancing the eco- nomy and advancing this province in a sustainable way. CleanBC provides to us the vehicle and the tool to be able to do that. It’s a tool that’s thoughtful.

It was developed in collaboration with stakeholders, in collaboration with the Green Party caucus members and developed in a way that, I believe, allows us to continue to build and grow the economy, including in the resource sectors, but to do it in ways that make sense and begin to achieve our very bold objectives around climate and around the reduction of emissions, as we move forward. It becomes very, very important, I think, that we wed all of these things. As with most areas of government, not much gets isolated.

There are those who would say part of the biggest challenge that you have in government is breaking down the silos between ministries about how government works. I think we’re doing a good job. We have more work to do, but we’re doing a good job when we connect all of these issues — issues around child care, issues around housing and homelessness, issues around people who are vulnerable, issues around climate and environment, issues around community development and rural community development.

All of these become essential pieces in building a soci- ety in British Columbia that is more affordable, building a society in British Columbia that is people-focused and people-based and that looks at how we support people, particularly those people who are more vulnerable and particularly those people who need a little bit more sup- port. I know the other side has talked a little bit about the tax issue, particularly the increased taxes on the top 1 percent of earners.

Now, I know that nobody probably likes to pay more taxes, but I also know a number of people who would fall into that category and who would tell you that they are prepared to pay a little bit more if that money is going to go and be invested in addressing the issues that all of us as a society face together. [2:45 p.m.] I believe that those people for whom British Columbia is their home, those people in that 1 percent who raised their families here, set down their roots here and have helped to build British Columbia…. The vast majority of those folks would say: “Y es, I can afford this.

And no, it doesn’t take away from my standard of living if I’m enhancing my investment into British Columbia to support people who need support or to advance those issues like CleanBC that make this a more sustainable place. ” I believe that they would say yes to that. I believe that they would find that to be a beneficial thing, as we see our economy grow and move forward. The last thing I wanted to talk a little bit about is the issue of reconciliation. It’s an area where we have invested significantly in our commitment, in partnership with First Nations, to make British Columbia a more just place.

We have seen it in the passing of the legislation of Bill 41, which adopted the UN declaration on the rights of Indi- genous people. We have seen it in the sharing of revenue in gaming grants: $3 billion over 25 years going to nations, no strings attached, to allow them to invest in building their communities; amounts between $250,000 and $2 million, with no strings attached, to support those communities and allow them to make choices for themselves that they choose to make. It’s about the over-half-a-billion-dollar investment in housing. It’s about the $50 million investment in lan- guages.

All of this is important. We all know there are Thursday, February 20, 2020 British Columbia Debates 11085

challenges we’re facing today, challenges that need to be addressed and that the government is very focused on — as are other governments across this country — to find resolution to. When all of that’s said and done, the found- ational pieces around reconciliation that we have put in place will serve all British Columbians well. We need to continue our commitment to that and continue to build on that commitment to reconciliation moving forward. I see my time is coming to a close. I just want to say: I’m very pleased. I’m very proud of this budget. It’s a budget that advances our issues in so many areas.

There is so much more work to do. I do look forward to this govern- ment, over many, many years to come, being able to do that work that will take British Columbians to the place that people want, where life is more affordable, where people who need supports and services are receiving them and where our economy continues to be strong and con- tinues to be bold. With that, I’ll take my place, and I look forward to hear- ing debate from the other side. T. Wat: It is always a privilege to rise in this House to debate another budget.

First, I would like to thank all my constituents who con- tinue to put their faith in me to represent the riding of Richmond North Centre and to bring our local issues to the provincial stage here in Victoria. I would also like to thank my legislative assistant, Han- nah; my communication officer, Sam; my research officers, Karen and Ryan; and my constituency assistants, David and Trix. Every member of this House knows very well that none of the work we do, either here or at home in our ridings, would be possible without the fabulous support network of staff to assist us and our constituents.

Of course, I would like to thank my family for continu- ing to support my role here. They were even kind enough to join me at the Legislature this week. Elected officials, like our MLAs, spend a lot of time away from their homes and families, but it is our loved ones who truly inspire us to serve our communities and this province the best we can. [2:50 p.m.] Since being elected in 2013, I’ve had the privilege of serving on both sides of this House and have witnessed many budgets introduced in February every year.

Like the throne speech, the budget gives British Columbians a key foresight into what we can expect in the coming year. But unlike the throne speech, the budget cannot hide behind rosy lenses and applause. Eventually, it comes down to the facts and the numbers. I have several issues with these numbers, both as a rep- resentative of my riding of Richmond North Centre and as a critic for multiculturalism. What I see in this budget is what I, unfortunately, anticipate for this coming year. What I see are more taxes, more reckless spending and more empty promises.

Under this administration, taxes have increased by $5.7 billion, and spending has increased by twice that much. Where is this money going? It is certainly not coming in the form of relief for homeowners, commuters, small business owners or those in need of social assistance. With a budget that acts dangerously close to putting our province in deficit, there’s nothing in it that addresses the wage gap or pay equity. My colleague from Surrey South has introduced two bills on this issue, yet the gov- ernment has taken no action.

This government has shaped an economic landscape that is making it impossible for British Columbians to get ahead. Gas prices are up, ICBC rates are skyrocketing, and employment and job losses are up. Housing starts are down, and retail sales are stagnant. Vancouver is now home to the second most unaffordable housing market in the world. Housing prices are on the rise, and housing starts are down by more than 20 percent.

Renters in Richmond have seen a rise in rental rates of almost 10 percent and are paying, on average, an extra $1,800 a year since the NDP took office and continue to pay some of the highest rates in the world. The only thing greater than the rising cost of living under this govern- ment is its sense of irony. The previous speaker, the Minister of Social Develop- ment and Poverty Reduction, said in his remarks just now that this government is investing in people. To claim that this budget is all about family and people is laughable.

This administration claims to be committed to supporting fam- ilies, while it makes life harder for them with each passing year. To say that they are building further upon the found- ation they have created over the last 2½ years is a strong indication of things to come. Let’s look at the foundation, a foundation that has seen total taxation for households rise by over $3,000. A found- ation that has seen over $1 billion in infrastructure pro- jects delayed in 2019. A foundation that has failed to meet its affordable housing targets by an abysmal margin.

A foundation that has been forced to pile on more and more taxes to accommodate for its reckless spending. It is not only a foundation of greater financial burdens for families but of broken promises too. The $10-a-day child care is dead. The $400 annual renters rebate is dead. The promise of a business plan for the new Richmond acute care tower seems to be gone too, as there is no mention of it in this budget nor the ministry service plan. When I return to my riding, I meet with various con- stituents and organizations.

They’re deeply saddened to hear how they are struggling more and more each day from these broken promises. My riding is home to one of the most vibrant multicultural communities in Canada. The foundation of our community lies in our many small and independent businesses. [2:55 p.m.] I have spoken in this House previously about the impact 11086 British Columbia Debates Thursday, February 20, 2020

that recent global events have had on my community — most notably, the coronavirus. Owners are doing everything to keep themselves from laying off workers, from personally delivering meals to people’s homes to even closing their doors for an indefinite period of time. I’m asking this government the same question. Families from all across my province have asked me: “What is this government doing to save my business?” Many in my rid- ing are losing confidence and saying that a recession is on its way and are now fearing that the coronavirus is further damaging their business.

Parklane, a restaurant that has been in business for decades, has given notice that it will suspend its opera- tion on February 17 and lay off its employees due to a slowdown caused by the coronavirus. Its business went down 50 percent. Today Parklane has already suspended its operation. Business at Marine Bay Restaurant on Alexandra Road have gone down 80 percent. Mr. Liu, owner of the restaurant, told Sing-Tao Daily news that customers are afraid to eat out because of what they heard or read from the media. Many other restaurants and food courts have suffered, as people are afraid to go into crowds.

David Chung, the president of the B.C. Asian Restaurant Café Owners Asso- ciation and the owner of Jade Restaurant, told Sing-Tao Daily news that their restaurant sales also dipped 25 per- cent. If the situation gets worse, his restaurant will lose money. Chung mentioned that two restaurants have lost orders of 300 tables in just half a month. Lunar new year celebrations and dinners were either cancelled or post- poned. Flying Fresh Air Freight, a cargo logistics company also in my riding, said seafood exports to Asia, China in par- ticular, are zero now, because no one is out.

He’s very wor- ried that this may go on for months. He believes that sea- food companies and exporters are in an even worse situ- ation, and he thinks that while industry has also been impacted, these businesses are hoping our government can help them. My riding of Richmond North Centre has the highest concentration of restaurants in the province. It has been named the Golden Village, a foodie’s dream. It is also our city’s main commercial district. But now we are seeing both consumer and business confidence slipping. Some even fear that a recession is approaching.

Y et this govern- ment has done little to boost our economy or offer any kind of incentives or relief. Is there something our government can do to help our constituents and businesses? Is government prepared to offer these businesses some sort of a lifeline? The business owners of Richmond are resilient. With proper government assistance, our businesses would persevere, but they are instead forced to bear the fin- ancial burdens that this government has forced upon them in the form of the employer health tax.

Small busi- nesses throughout B.C., especially those in my riding and across the Lower Mainland, are facing huge tax spikes for the air space above their heads as their prop- erties are assessed for the best use related to the undeveloped air space above them. Some organizations have seen property tax bills spike as high as 200 to 300 percent.

My colleague the MLA for Kamloops–South Thompson tried to throw business owners a lifeline when he introduced his private mem- bers bill in the fall session — the Assessment (Split Assessment Classification) Amendment Act, 2019 — to speak to zoning and provide tax relief to individuals overwhelmed by these massive property tax hikes. But this government stonewalled us and continues to do nothing to provide relief.

My colleague reintroduced the bill this morning, as we continue to hear from a broad coalition of stakeholders desperate for split zoning to protect them from these over- whelming tax hikes. [3:00 p.m.] I’m hoping that this government will support this bill and prioritize aid to small business owners over party politics. Deputy Speaker: Member, the Minister of Education would like to introduce some guests. What is the pleasure of this House? Interjections. Deputy Speaker: Please proceed, Minister. Introductions by Members Hon. R.

Fleming: Thank you to the member for Rich- mond North Centre — for interrupting the flow of her budget response. I appreciate that. We’re joined here in the Legislature this afternoon by a group of 25 English-language-program students from the University of Victoria’s department of continuing studies. I see them in the gallery here, and I’ d ask every member in the House to make them most welcome. Deputy Speaker: Thank you, Minister. I’ll ask the member to continue her presentation. Debate Continued T. Wat: It is not only business owners that continue to suffer from this government’s lack of action.

This weekend I am meeting with several strata councils from my riding who tell me that the skyrocketing insurance premiums are beyond what local strata owners can afford. We are hear- ing stories of insurance premiums soaring as high as 500 percent, and deductibles have increased between $100,000 and $500,000. Thursday, February 20, 2020 British Columbia Debates 11087

Frankly, I’m concerned about what I’m going to tell them, because it is that side of the House that is respons- ible for addressing these concerns. If they continue the trend we have seen over the last three years, things are going to get far worse before they get even better. How can a government that is slashing its own ministry budgets and taxing things like Netflix to stay afloat ever hope to provide relief?

I was deeply disappointed to see that the profile on mul- ticulturalism is subject to budget cuts in this day and age when we continue to see a rise in xenophobia, social divi- sion and racial discrimination. I have spoken in this House before about how the coronavirus has impacted business confidence in my riding of Richmond North Centre. But the impact goes beyond economical. There is a social impact as well. Members on both sides of this House have reason to talk about how we must avoid racial stereotypes and the spread of false information when it comes to health scares like the coronavirus.

But I continue to hear stories about stig- matization and racial stereotypes against Chinese Cana- dians both in person and on social media. This interaction proves why our government must continue to invest in resources that help fight against racial stereotypes and fearmongering, now more than ever. Last fall the NDP changed the name of our previous anti-racism program and made a big show of it. Even the Premier was present at a ceremony that happened at the Legislature, and he, himself, announced this renamed pro- gram which was introduced by our B.C. Liberal govern- ment many years ago.

Now there’s no mention of racism in this budget. How is this not a priority for this govern- ment? Once again, honouring British Columbia’s multicul- tural heritage and defending the rights of our citizens has been put on the back burner. Although this government may skip out on legitimate action, they never seem to fail to miss out on a PR oppor- tunity. Last year they made a big show of preserving our multicultural heritage through the Chinese-Canadian her- itage museum. This project is a cornerstone in claiming Vancouver’s Chinatown as a world heritage site.

I have pressed this government to get this project off the ground, and they have taken every opportunity to pat themselves on the back for their commitment to it. But we have yet to see shovels break ground. This ministry cannot continue to slow-walk this project.

I’m truly hoping that we will see them follow through so that we can show Brit- ish Columbians that honouring our multicultural heritage is still a top priority for the B.C. government. [3:05 p.m.] Over the coming weeks, I will have many questions for this government, for I am genuinely curious to see how this administration plans to answer a few questions that this budget has left unanswered. How can they continue to claim that they are making life more affordable for British Columbians while the numbers continue to tell an entirely different truth?

Deputy Speaker: I now call on the House Leader of the Third Party. [Applause.] S. Furstenau: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And thank you to my colleagues for the warm welcome as I rise to take my place in the debate on Budget 2020. One of the things I actually enjoy about being part of the Green caucus is that we neither need to provide a wholesale endorsement of this budget, nor do we need to provide a sweeping condemnation.

Instead, we can occupy the middle ground, recognizing that budgets are about pri- orities and trade-offs and also recognizing that while we are proud to support much of what is in this budget, there is also much that we would do differently. I am fully supportive of many of the programs and policies in this budget, but as a whole, it takes an incre- mental approach that is far too rooted in looking back- wards.

What we need today is for governments to make courageous choices, choices that recognize the necessary transformation upon us and that commit to making the most out of the shift that is coming, whether we prepare for it or not. One core goal that all of us in this place should be pur- suing is: how do we build and support resilient communit- ies? Where does this budget deliver on this goal, and where does it fall short or take us in the wrong direction? The first pillar of a resilient community is economic security.

In a time of significant global uncertainty, we should be making choices that make us less vulnerable to things that we can’t control. We need to become less reliant on global commodity prices and the boom-and- bust swings that come with them, instead supporting manufacturing and prioritizing adding value right here in British Columbia. We need to be investing in technologies and companies that are part of the solution to climate change. But in pur- suing the expansion of LNG, the government is taking us in the opposite direction and tethering us to a high-risk sector that is largely beyond our control. The B.C.

Liber- als have also been cheerleaders for exactly this type of old- school development. We only need look to our provincial neighbour next door to see what hitching our economy to fossil fuel com- modity prices will do. Predicting what the price for LNG will be, or any fossil fuel, for that matter, is a fool’s game. The world is transitioning. The smart money is on leading that change, not clinging to a 20th-century economy. What’s at risk if we continue to pursue LNG? We can already see that the B.C.

Business Council is advocating for even more subsidies than what have already been provided, all in the name of competitiveness. In 2020, gov- ernment should not be putting money behind fossil fuel companies to make them competitive, especially with the 11088 British Columbia Debates Thursday, February 20, 2020

growing risk that these become stranded assets, massive projects with huge public dollars behind them that fail to deliver a fraction of the promised revenue. Even worse, there is growing evidence that natural gas is simply not cleaner than coal or any other type of fossil fuel. Mark Carney, the current governor of the Bank of Eng- land and the next UN special envoy for climate change, has repeatedly stressed the need for financial systems and gov- ernments to have a concrete plan today that gets us to net zero by 2050.

We need to be putting money behind those who are solving the problem or are part of the solution and taking money away from those who aren’t moving fast enough. BlackRock, pension plans, universities, even entire countries are divesting from fossil fuels. Sweden recently sold off Canadian bonds because it felt that our green- house gas emissions were too high. [3:10 p.m.] We are not the outliers in making the point that con- tinuing down the path of fossil fuel development is no longer a viable economic strategy.

It’s not only environ- mentally disastrous to continue to expand fossil fuels at this moment in our history; it is no longer a financially sound strategy. Instead, our economic opportunity is in building a clean economy and, in doing so, deliberately spurring local innovation and ensuring that B.C. busi- nesses have opportunities to flourish in the transition to a clean economy, because economic security relies on thriv- ing local businesses. I was struck by the comments I read recently by Cath- erine Holt, the CEO of the Greater Victoria Chamber of Commerce.

She articulated the critical role that govern- ment plays in supporting thriving local business. It goes far beyond the oversimplified message that we often hear — that business owners are concerned, first and foremost, with low taxes. Of course a competitive taxation environ- ment is important, but the needs of business are far broad- er and more nuanced. In many ways, the concerns of indi- viduals and the concerns of business align. I hear similar scenes from the many business owners in my riding and across B.C. that I’ve met with over the years.

Businesses need workers who can afford to live in cities where they work. They want to see better public transport- ation and child care to support their working lives. They want fair taxation and regulations. They want to contrib- ute to climate solutions and be rewarded for doing so, and they want a government that is efficient and effective. Government plays a central role in all of these areas, contributing to the social fabric that supports people at home and at work and that builds communities that can become destinations of choice for both businesses and workers.

Catherine asks: “What if we had housing that didn’t require you to mortgage your children’s future, or if child care was available at a reasonable cost rather than relying on your worn-out parents or your neighbour? What if you didn’t need a car because the bus goes by your stop every eight minutes, as do the new rapid bus routes in Vancouver and in many cities in Europe and Asia? What if health care didn’t require taking hours off…to sit in a germ-ridden clinic to have five minutes with an overworked GP you’ve never laid eyes on before?

Or what if university tuition was only $250 per year, as in France?” Catherine has articu- lated a vision that I can get behind. Some items in this budget take incremental steps in this direction. The B.C. access grant, for example, will help make post-secondary studies more affordable and access- ible for lower- and middle-income students. This is a needs-based upfront grant to students starting post-sec- ondary studies. Through this program, government will provide up to $4,000 per year for students in short programs up to two years and up to $1,000 per year for students in programs over two years.

There is also a federal grant for students in these longer programs of up to $3,000 per year. Upfront grants like this not only improve access to education but also encourage completion by providing students support when they need it. This budget also continues investments in implement- ing early childhood education for families across B.C. However, as a number of advocates have cautioned, the investment timeline stalls on the needed investments to truly deliver a high-quality, affordable early childhood education system.

We have made progress on reducing the burden of child care on young families, but we must main- tain an ambitious plan to make this real for all families. Y oung families need to be able to rely on a high-quality and affordable early childhood education system. It’s also critical to remember that we cannot build a high-quality ECE system without educators, early child- hood educators. They are the ones who will first instill the joy of learning in our children. They are a vital part of the education system, just like our teachers, and should be treated as such.

We also cannot forget that this is about early learning as well as care. It must be high quality as well as affordable and have education as a central focus. We will continue to urge the government to move the Ministry of State for Child Care from the Ministry of Chil- dren and Family Development to the Ministry of Educa- tion, because the Ministry of Education is best suited to fostering an educational continuum. [3:15 p.m.] This budget also makes investments in infrastructure on health, transportation, education, post-secondary edu- cation and housing.

Having high-quality infrastructure is an essential part of building healthy communities, and I welcome these investments. However, there is another example of where government’s choices should be driven by an overarching goal to support community resilience. The significant amount of money spent on the procure- ment and building of these projects can be leveraged to serve a larger purpose. Thursday, February 20, 2020 British Columbia Debates 11089

For example, government is investing billions in build- ing new health facilities. One of these is the St. Paul’s Hospital in Vancouver. There is an opportunity here to build an innovation hub around the new St. Paul’s site that could serve as a major R-and-D precinct for health and life sciences research and innovation. The payoff from this would exceed any incremental investment needed from the province at this stage. It would support the growth of B.C. companies and result in better health outcomes for British Columbians. Similarly with transportation investments.

Government has committed $7.4 billion to priority transportation pro- jects, yet we are still prioritizing expanding highway infra- structure while there are major transit gaps that exist in communities big and small across this province. We need a more deliberate focus driving what we are trying to achieve with infrastructure. All major infrastructure pro- ject decisions should be assessed through the lens of our climate goals and community resilience. This should determine where we prioritize investment and how the money gets spent. One question I will be asking is regarding the reduction of B.C.

Transit funding in this year’s budget. Public transit needs to be an absolute priority, and I have trouble recon- ciling the government’s stated commitments to investing in transit with a drop in funding this year. Another aspect of this budget that I have significant concerns and further questions about is MCFD funding. We are still missing the shift that is so necessary in the ministry towards emphasizing prevention of apprehen- sions of children and, instead, working to keep families together.

The child safety, family support and children in care ser- vices line item in MCFD estimates has seen an increase in this budget from $682 million to an estimated $731 mil- lion. It is impossible to see from this line item whether the increase is directed towards supporting families and preventing apprehensions or whether it’s continuing to go towards children in care. There needs to be far greater transparency in how the budget in this ministry is alloc- ated so that we can actually see where the government is choosing to invest its dollars.

I will be asking more questions about this and holding the government to account on this issue over the session, because if we’re not investing in prevention and realigning the priorities of this ministry, we’re continuing to replicate the same patterns. The problem is how we have chosen to fund this system and how the act that governs this area is interpreted and applied. In 2½ years in my constituency office, we have seen the structural problems in how the Ministry of Chil- dren and Family Development deals with families and children.

There is often little willingness to consider evid- ence-based and proven options in finding the least dis- ruptive measures when considering the removal of a child. Perhaps most detrimental to the well-being of children are the stories I’ve heard about how service providers com- municate with the child’s parents, grandparents and exten- ded family members. This is especially acute for Indigen- ous families, and I think all of us who are parents and grandparents in this chamber can recognize that there could be nothing more stressful than the threat of having our children removed from us.

My staff will work with families to advocate for a mother to see her babies more than one hour per week, only to be denied. Or we hear that a mother and a newborn’s visit took place in a service provider’s car outside a coffee shop. There appears to be a double standard. In court, you are innocent until proven otherwise. With the Ministry of Children and Families, you are guilty until proven other- wise. How do you prove a negative? Nothing has substantially changed in the MCFD service provision in our community.

Community members remain distrusting and afraid of MCFD, and our caseload remains the same year over year in our constituency office. [3:20 p.m.] Most of the parents we do see quietly accept these cir- cumstances. They’re smart and determined. Early on we began to notice a trend with each set of parents who would come into our office. Most of the families are Indigenous.

Without fail, even faced with the reality that it’s unlikely that they will be reunited with their children, at some point, the parents will say: “I don’t want this to happen to another family. ” Often all they need to be able to parent in the way that MCFD expects is money and support. In most cases, their children were removed because they’re living in poverty and/or don’t have enough support to manage their home. That is why funding is such a crucial issue. Unless we change the funding structure as well as the culture, we will continue to see the same outcomes.

Children in care perform worse on every health deter- minant and add a significant cost to our health and edu- cation systems. We can’t let the status quo remain. As one Cowichan man said: “It’s easier for me to tell you who in my family hasn’t been in government care than for me to tell you who has. ” The act itself is not the problem. We need to change how we fund, interpret, and apply it so that we support famil- ies, so that parents trust MCFD service providers to serve their needs.

We need a shift that puts the health and well- being of individuals and families at the centre of how gov- ernment approaches child welfare. Turning again to another aspect of the budget, one policy shift that has the potential to improve health out- comes is a change in how sugary drinks are taxed. In this budget, the government has eliminated the PST exemption that currently exists for soft drinks that are sweetened with sugar or natural or artificial sweeteners.

At its best, this type of policy can signal a shift to emphasizing preventat- ive health measures, with the potential for significant pos- itive health outcomes. 11090 British Columbia Debates Thursday, February 20, 2020

It should not be seen as a revenue-generating tool but a preventative health measure. We spend the vast majority of our resources in the Ministry of Health and a substantial portion of the provincial budget in helping people to recover when they are sick. Of course, an excellent health care system that supports recovery should be a priority of every government. But we also need a proactive approach to wellness that helps people lead healthy lives.

I support this elimination of the PST exemption on sug- ary drinks, but for it to be an effective tool that really has an impact on health outcomes, I’ d like to see it embed- ded in a broader set of measures to encourage healthy food consumption. A few years ago Chile introduced a set of health meas- ures to reduce the consumption of sugary drinks and other unhealthy foods. These policies included not only a tax on sugary drinks but warning labels and a restriction on junk food in schools. These policies worked together and have together resulted in an impressive outcome.

The result is a 25 percent drop in sugary drink consumption in just 18 months. In addition to measures to disincentivize unhealthy food consumption, we need a positive, holistic approach that helps people have access to healthy food choices. We need to build healthy foods into the fabric of our schools and work with partners to ensure that lower-income fam- ilies have access to fresh, healthy foods so that they have real choice. An interesting aspect of this policy is that it is the first time that the government has applied a gender-based ana- lysis plus analysis to the policy.

The analysis found that this policy will primarily affect young males, as males consume more soft drinks than females, and that consumption is highest among individuals aged 14 to 18. This brings me to an area of partnership with this gov- ernment that I’m excited about — the work that we are undertaking to develop a set of genuine progress indicat- ors for British Columbia. Putting all of this together, we need to realize that for most people, GDP growth isn’t felt. We need to be measuring what actually matters to people. GDP does not provide an adequate measure of progress or well-being.

It doesn’t measure what really matters for Brit- ish Columbians. And it doesn’t give us a true picture of the health of our economy or our society. It’s time that we stopped elevating it as the primary metric we use to define a healthy economy. [3:25 p.m.] I’m excited to create a more holistic set of indicators that capture the health and well-being of British Colum- bians, our social connections and the state of our envir- onment, because you have to measure and report on what truly matters if you’re serious about making policy meet those ends.

I would be thrilled to see us follow the footsteps of New Zealand, which introduced their first well-being budget and runs all policies and programs through the lens of how they will affect the well-being of current and future gen- erations of New Zealanders. I will keep working with the government to move this forward, and I hope and expect that this is the last B.C. budget that relies on GDP growth as the main metric of success of our economy. In B.C., we have a unique opportunity to build an equit- able and sustainable future and to create widespread prosperity and a high quality of life as we do so. The B.C.

Green caucus is looking for a coherent economic strategy to create prosperity and position us for success in an era of unprecedented change. Government has to make smarter, more courageous choices that will allow us to meet our targets and embrace new opportunities for economic prosperity rather than spending significant time and resources to protect the status quo. We see the green eco- nomy as a central component of a thriving 21st century economy, one that harnesses all the tools of government towards the end of building resilient, sustainable com- munities everywhere in our province.

I also want to comment on the two roles my colleague and I play in this Legislature. We are both partners in CASA with the NDP and we are an opposition party. So while I am supportive of many aspects of this budget, I have also been clear about where I disagree on the direc- tion the government is taking or feel that there are signi- ficant missed opportunities. Some try to suggest that any disagreement between us and the NDP is a sign that something has gone wrong or that we must support every item in this budget in order to support the budget as a whole. I disagree.

We have agreed to partner with the NDP in this minority government, and while we have shared areas of priority, we are also different parties and have different visions for this province. This is a healthy tension. I think minority governments result in better outcomes, where policy is stronger and the governing party is kept more honest. They help to guard us against some of the excessive tendencies that can come from one party having 100 percent of the power. I will be supporting this budget, and I will be continuing to hold the government accountable for the choices it makes.

I will be working to ensure that we are addressing the most pressing issues facing our province. J. Routledge: I really appreciate this opportunity to stand in support of Budget 2020. At its heart, this is a budget that is about the people of British Columbia. Given the extensive public consultation that has gone into this and our previous budgets, one can also say that, in large part, this is a budget by the people of British Columbia. Speaking of people, I’ d like to take a moment to acknow- ledge some of the important people in my life: my hus- band, my son and daughter-in-law, and my two grand- children.

They support what I do with so much love and enthusiasm. They are engaged in the important work that happens in this chamber. Thursday, February 20, 2020 British Columbia Debates 11091

Against all odds, my grandson and my husband were here in the gallery to listen to the throne speech. I know that at least one of them is watching the proceedings today. They have opinions about the issues of the day and, may I even say, especially the kids are engaged citizens. [3:30 p.m.] Now, some of you in this chamber know that my family has recently embarked on a new adventure. We are now all living together but separately, under one roof. Our home, where my husband and I have lived for more than 20 years, became, as a result of some pretty major renova- tions, multi-generational. [R.

Chouhan in the chair.] Speaking of people, I also want to acknowledge the people of Burnaby North. I want to thank them for sharing their stories, their ideas, their dreams and their fears. It is the experiences of people like them that have shaped this budget. I’m confident that the vast majority of people I represent will find themselves reflected in the vision that Budget 2020 represents. This is a budget that affirms that, like household budgets, its job is to create the best life possible for everyone who lives here under our shared roof.

Like a good household budget, it has something for the whole B.C. family. Like a good household budget, it sets money aside for immediate consumption for food, clothing and shelter, but it also plans for the future — education for the kids, healthy retirement for the adults and insurance against disaster. I think we can all agree that a household that spends its money on designer clothes for the parents while the kids are sent off to school in rags, without warm coats in winter or dry shoes in the rain, is an unfair and irre- sponsible household.

A household that showers treats on one child while the rest go without, I think we could all agree, would lead to serious, costly family disunity down the road. Budget 2020 acknowledges that. It acknowledges that we all make our living here in B.C. together. British Columbia is not simply a playground for the rich. British Columbia is not simply a safety deposit box for those who have no stake in our future. British Colum- bia is not simply an on-ramp for the global highway. Brit- ish Columbia is our home.

Now, over the last couple of days, I’ve listened to com- ments from across the aisle that would argue that Budget 2020 just isn’t flashy enough: too many fruits and veget- ables, not enough spa days. This is a budget that tends to the needs of the whole family today and in the future. It’s a budget that acknowledges that our B.C. family has gone through some tough times and needs to rebuild and re-bond. Budget 2020 invests directly in the people who invest directly in our communities, who spend their earnings in local businesses so that others can also make a living.

Here are just a few examples of the ways that our vision and our budgets have made life better for the people in my com- munity of Burnaby. Let me start with child care. Since 2018, we’ve invested over $25 million in Burnaby so that families have access to affordable, quality child care when they need it. As of May 2019, we’ d put $6.9 million back into the pockets of Burn- aby families through the affordable child care benefit pro- gram and child care subsidy program.

Since forming gov- ernment, we’ve funded the creation of 363 new licensed child care spaces and created 136 universal child care pro- totype spaces in Burnaby alone. Let me turn to mental health and addiction. Burnaby is receiving funding to implement community action teams so that more lives are saved. [3:35 p.m.] Technology. The province is supporting Burnaby-based D-Wave Systems with a $2 million investment to develop a next-generation quantum computer. It will be far more powerful than its current model, on a wider variety of applications, without increasing power demands.

The technology will also improve the way computers solve problems for people in areas such as precision medicine, discovery of new materials, traffic management and cli- mate change. In the area of education, we are building a brand-new 1,800-seat Burnaby North secondary school, expected to be ready for students next year. Child care, adult education and language development programs will be operated out of a new 2,000-square-metre neighbourhood learning centre. We’ve invested $150,000 to support the Take a Hike Foundation, which has one of its five classes in Burnaby.

We’ve hired 22 more full-time teachers in Burnaby. Now let me turn to housing, which is a critical issue and has been for the last while — a critical issue in Burnaby. So 90 new affordable rental homes are part of the ongoing redevelopment of Cedar Place, and 331 new and affordable homes in Burnaby for low-income seni- ors and people with disabilities.

We’ve funded two shelters, for a total of 54 beds; $14.2 million has been invested for 142 affordable rental units for seniors; $6.1 million has been invested for 142 other affordable units; $6.1 million is invested for 61 afford- able rental units for individuals, families and people with developmental disabilities; $2.5 million has been invested for 25 affordable rental units for other families and seniors; $13.8 million for 138 affordable rental units as well.

Twenty units of affordable rental housing for women and children leaving violence, and $7.6 million invested for 53 modular housing units for people exper- iencing homelessness. Last year we announced that Burnaby Hospital will finally be redeveloped to the tune of $1.3 billion. There will be two new towers, 400 new beds and a cancer treat- ment centre. Now, these are just some of the examples of the things 11092 British Columbia Debates Thursday, February 20, 2020

that we’re doing to make life better for the people who live in my community of Burnaby, and it is just a beginning. Budget 2020 continues the hard work to rebuild the Burn- aby and B.C. family. Earlier I alluded to a history of bad decisions that have torn our B.C. family apart. Let me be more specific about what those things are that our budget and our previous budgets have been working on to try to correct. Our predecessors, the B.C. Liberal government, cut funding to important services British Columbians relied on.

In the area of workers compensation, they ended life- time benefits for permanently injured workers. They reduced benefit payments by 13 percent. They made budget cuts that led to a 30 percent reduction in worksite visits by prevention officers. They eliminated vocational rehabilitation assistance by a 98 percent reduction. They reduced the employer premium rates at the expense of workers. Collective agreements have been stripped, which has resulted in thousands of jobs lost in health care and the privatization of many health care services.

Stripping of col- lective agreements reduced support for students, and, in fact, were found to be in violation of the Charter rights of these workers. In the area of the Employment Standards Act, massive cuts led to reduced staffing at the branch by a third. It closed face-to-face services by reducing offices from 17 to nine. It lowered the age of child employment to 12. [3:40 p.m.] Other areas under labour relations. The previous gov- ernment ended card check certification, increased delays in holding and processing certification votes.

Budget cuts at the board left it understaffed and under-resourced, and unionization in the province dropped. Now, some across the aisle may applaud this. But I would point out that though unionization rates declined across Canada in the ’80s and ’90s, B.C. is the only province where unionization rates continued into

Document details

Collection	British Columbia — Debates (Hansard)
Citation	20200220pm Hansard n311
Type	hansard
Volume / chapter	20200220pm Hansard n311
Language	en
Format	pdf
Source	PROVINCIAL
Identifier	1479501161eb68e1054e75459c42c6d0e159cbe9

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