Second Session, 42nd Parliament

(2021) OFFICIAL REPORT

OF DEBATES

(HANSARD)

Tuesday, April 13, 2021

Afternoon Sitting

Issue No. 46

ISSN 1499-2175

The HTML transcript is provided for informational purposes only.

The PDF transcript remains the official digital version.

CONTENTS

Routine Business

Tributes

Jean Lambert

Hon. S. Robinson

Speaker’s Statement

Ramadan

Motions Without Notice

Appointment of Special Committee to Appoint an Ombudsperson

Appointment of Special Committee to Review Provisions of the Election Act

Appointment of Special Committee on Reforming the Police Act

Appointment of Special Committee to Review the Personal Information Protection Act

Hon. M. Farnworth

Orders of the Day

Throne Speech Debate

(continued)

M. Dykeman

G. Kyllo

B. Bailey

K. Kirkpatrick

Hon. G. Heyman

M. Morris

Hon. N. Cullen

L. Doerkson

Hon. R. Kahlon

B. Banman

S. Chant

TUESDAY, APRIL 13, 2021

The House met at 1:32 p.m.

[Mr. Speaker in the chair.]

Routine Business

Tributes

JEAN LAMBERT

Hon. S. Robinson: It is with tremendous sadness that we learned that Monsieur Jean

Lambert passed away this past Saturday.

C’est avec grande tristesse que nous avons appris que Monsieur

Jean Lambert est décédé le Samedi passe.

[French text provided by Hon. S.

Robinson.]

He was a tremendous force in the Maillardville community. He

engaged with so many community organizations: the Scouts francophones de

Maillardville, le Club des pensionnés, les Chevaliers de Colomb and, of

course, his involvement with the festival du bois and Société

francophone de Maillardville.

Monsieur Lambert never missed a moment to push me to use my French

language skills. He called me out whenever he could, whenever we were

together, whether on the dance floor, ‘dessus le grand

chapiteau’ at festival du bois, or we were celebrating

Christmas together at the Club Bel Âge. He cherished his family and his

community, and he got out what he put in. He was cherished by his family

and his community.

He’ll be missed by his wife, Suzanne, his children and his

grandchildren.

May his memory be for a blessing.

Speaker’s Statement

RAMADAN

Mr. Speaker: Hon. Members, on behalf of this House, I would like to wish

Ramadan Mubarek to everyone ob­serving this holy

month of Ramadan. May you and your family find happiness and joy in

Ramadan.

Wishing you a very happy and safe Ramadan. Ramadan

Mubarek .

Hon. M. Farnworth: I seek leave to move four motions to appoint four special

committees. Full text of these motions has been provided to the two

other House Leaders.

Leave granted.

Motions Without Notice

APPOINTMENT OF SPECIAL COMMITTEE

TO APPOINT AN

OMBUDSPERSON

Hon. M. Farnworth: I move the first motion regarding the Special Committee to

Appoint an Ombudsperson.

[That a Special Committee to Appoint an Ombudsperson be

appointed to select and unanimously recommend to the Legislative

Assembly the appointment of an individual as Ombudsperson, pursuant

section 2 of the Ombudsperson Act (R.S.B.C. 1996, c.

340).

That the Special Committee have all the powers of a Select

Standing Committee and in addition be empowered to:

a. appoint of its number, one or more

subcommittees and to refer to such subcommittees any of the matters

referred to the Special Committee and to delegate to the

subcommittees all or any of its powers except the power to report

directly to the House;

b. sit during a period in which the House is

adjourned, during the recess after prorogation until the next

following Session and during any sitting of the

House;

c. adjourn from place to place as may be

convenient; and,

d. retain personnel as required to assist the

Special Committee.

That any information or evidence previously under consideration

by the Special Committee appointed by order of the House on March 2,

2021 be referred to the Special Committee.

That the Special Committee report to the House as soon as

possible, and that during a period of adjournment, the Special

Committee deposit its reports with the Clerk of the Legislative

Assembly, and upon resumption of the sittings of the House, or in

the next following Session, as the case may be, the Chair present

all reports to the House.

That the Special Committee be composed of the following Members:

Janet Routledge (Convener), Jagrup Brar, Fin

Donnelly, Bruce Banman, and Teresa Wat .]

Motion approved.

[1:35 p.m.]

APPOINTMENT OF SPECIAL COMMITTEE

TO REVIEW PROVISIONS

OF THE ELECTION ACT

Hon. M. Farnworth: I move the second motion regarding the Special Committee to

Review Provisions of the Elec­tion Act.

[That, pursuant to

section 215.03 of the Election Act

(R.S.B.C. 1996, c. 106) a Special Committee to Review

Provisions of the Election Act be appointed to conduct a

review of the annual allowance paid to political parties under

section 215.02 of the Act, including, but not limited to, a review

of the following:

1. Whether an annual allowance paid to political parties

should be continued to be paid after 2022.

2. If an annual allowance to political parties is to be

continued,

a) the amount of the annual allowance;

and,

b) the number of years the annual allowance is to

be paid.

That any information or evidence previously under consideration

by the Special Committee appointed by order of the House on March 2,

2021 be referred to the Special Committee.

That the Special Committee have all the powers of a Select

Standing Committee and in addition be empowered to:

a. appoint of its number, one or more

subcommittees and to refer to such subcommittees any of the matters

referred to the Special Committee and to delegate to the

subcommittees all or any of its powers except the power to report

directly to the House;

b. sit during a period in which the House is

adjourned, during the recess after prorogation until the next

following Session and during any sitting of the

House;

c. conduct consultations by any means the Special

Committee considers appropriate;

d. adjourn from place to place as may be

convenient; and,

e. retain personnel as required to assist the

Special Committee.

That the Special Committee report to the House by September 1,

2021; and that during a period of adjournment, the Special Committee

deposit its reports with the Clerk of the Legislative Assembly, and

upon resumption of the sittings of the House, or in the next

following Session, as the case may be, the Chair present all reports

to the House.

That the Special Committee be composed of the following Members:

Jagrup Brar (Convener), Brittny Anderson, Ronna-Rae

Leonard, Andrew Mercier, Greg Kyllo, Peter Milobar , and

Adam Olsen .]

Motion approved.

APPOINTMENT OF SPECIAL COMMITTEE

ON REFORMING THE

POLICE ACT

Hon. M. Farnworth: I move the third motion, regarding the Special Committee on

Reforming the Police Act.

[That a Special Committee on Reforming the Police Act

be appointed to examine, inquire into, and make recommendations to

the Legislative Assembly on the following:

1. Reforms related to independent oversight,

transparency, governance, structure, service delivery, standards,

funding, training and education, and any other considerations which

may apply respecting the modernization and sustainability of

policing under the Police Act (R.S.B.C. 1996, c. 367) and

all related agreements.

2. The role of police with respect to complex

social issues including mental health and wellness, addictions, and

harm reduction; and in consideration of any appropriate changes to

relevant sections of the Mental Health Act (R.S.B.C. 1996,

c. 288).

3. The scope of systemic racism within British

Columbia’s police agencies, including the Royal Canadian Mounted

Police, independent municipal police and designated policing units,

and its impact on public safety and public trust in

policing.

4. Whether there are measures necessary to ensure

a modernized Police Act is consistent with the United

Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (2007), as

required by

section 3 of the Declaration on the Rights of

Indigenous Peoples Act (S.B.C. 2019, c.

44).

That the Special Committee undertake the above examinations as

it deems appropriate with regard to relevant reports, studies, and

examinations.

That any information or evidence previously under consideration

by the Special Committees appointed by order of the House on July 8,

2020 and December 9, 2020 be referred to the Special

Committee.

That the Special Committee have all the powers of a Select

Standing Committee and in addition is empowered to:

a. appoint of its number, one or more

subcommittees and to refer to such subcommittees any of the matters

referred to the Special Committee and to delegate to the

subcommittees all or any of its powers except the power to report

directly to the House;

b. sit during a period in which the House is

adjourned, during the recess after prorogation until the next

following Session and during any sitting of the

House;

c. conduct consultations by any means the Special

Committee considers appropriate;

d. adjourn from place to place as may be

convenient; and,

e. retain personnel as required to assist the

Special Committee.

That the Special Committee shall report to the House by April

28, 2022, and that during a period of adjournment, the Special

Committee deposit its reports with the Clerk of the Legislative

Assembly, and upon resumption of the sittings of the House, or in

the next following Session, as the case may be, the Chair present

all reports to the House.

The Special Committee be composed of the following Members:

Doug Routley (Convener), Garry Begg, Rachna Singh,

Grace Lore, Rick Glumac, Harwinder Sandhu, Dan Davies, Trevor

Halford, Karin Kirkpatrick , and Adam

Olsen .]

Motion approved.

APPOINTMENT OF SPECIAL COMMITTEE

TO REVIEW THE

PERSONAL INFORMATION PROTECTION ACT

Hon. M. Farnworth: I move the fourth motion, regarding the Special Committee to

Review the Personal Information Protection Act.

[That a Special Committee be appointed to review the Personal

Information Protection Act (S.B.C. 2003, c. 73) pursuant to

section 59 of that Act.

That the Special Committee shall have the powers of a Select

Standing Committee and in addition be empowered to:

a. appoint of its number one or more subcommittees and

to refer to such subcommittees any of the matters referred to the

Special Committee and to delegate to the subcommittees all or any of its

powers except the power to report directly to the

House;

b. sit during a period in which the House is

adjourned, during the recess after prorogation until the next following

Session and during any sitting of the House;

c. conduct consultations by any means the Special

Committee considers appropriate;

d. adjourn from place to place as may be convenient;

and,

e. retain personnel as required to assist the Special

Committee.

That any information or evidence previously under consideration by

the Special Committees appointed by order of the House on February 18,

2020 and December 9, 2020 be referred to the Special Committee.

That the Special Committee report to the House by December 8, 2021,

and that during a period of adjournment, the Special Committee deposit

its reports with the Clerk of the Legislative Assembly, and upon

resumption of the sittings of the House, or in the next following

Session, as the case may be, the Chair present all reports to the

House.

That the said Special Committee be composed of the following

Members: Mable Elmore (Convener), Garry Begg , Rick

Glumac, Kelly Greene, Dan Ashton, Andrew Wilkinson , and

Adam Olsen .]

Motion approved.

Orders of the Day

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

Throne Speech Debate

(continued)

M. Dykeman: Picking up where we left off prior to lunch, it was an honour to share

with the House some of the heroes from my riding of Langley East. These

stories are even more important as we cross the one-year mark since the

start of the pandemic and we’re moving towards the light at the end of the

tunnel as we work to put the pandemic behind us.

[S. Chandra Herbert in the chair.]

People are tired, and they’re feeling disillusioned, and they’re

feeling the effects of being disconnected. Seniors, youth, families. We miss

our friends. We miss our normalcy of our routine. These stories remind us

that we will soon return to this, as we cross towards the end. They also

remind us, as we’ve seen through the pandemic, that there is a need for

support and investment to ensure that those who have been most affected,

often our most vulnerable in our community and in our society, are not left

behind.

This is why I was so thrilled to hear during the throne speech that

our government is committing to ensuring that we’re continuing to invest in

our province and supporting the people of British Columbia in a meaningful

way. When you invest in people, families, businesses and communities, that’s

what creates a robust community and a robust economy that are strong and

able to push forward through challenging times.

Our vaccine rollout has been accelerated, with over one million people

in British Columbia having already re­ceived their first vaccine.

Thousands more are receiving their vaccine each day. Our government’s top

priority has been and remains protecting people’s health and livelihoods.

There is a significant amount of work to do.

One thing, though, that made me see how close we were actually getting

was the day that they opened the second vaccine clinic in Langley, in my

riding. My constituency office is up at the Langley Events Centre. I had to

stop by on a weekend to pick up some materials to head here. I was so

surprised to see so many cars in the parking lot, because the rec centres

quite frankly had been so empty through this pandemic.

It took me a moment to remember that we were going to be adding in a

second vaccine clinic. I was so excited to drive in and see so many smiling

faces parked there in the parking lot. I spent a little bit of time —

socially distanced, of course, with a mask — outside saying hi to people as

they came in and went out. What really moved me was how emotional it was for

so many people.

They all had stories of how happy they were, how thrilled they were to

have received their vaccination and how this was going to change their

lives. Many people talked about how excited they were going to be to hug

their parents or their grandchildren or meet their grandchildren they hadn’t

met before. It’s really hard not to be moved by that, to see so many

people’s lives changed.

Each day I have the pleasure not only to be the MLA of Langley East

and get to go work in my office with these amazing people that I get to work

with every day but also to see people come in and out each day, receiving

their vaccinations and often stopping by and waving and thanking our

government for working so hard to push out this accelerated vaccine

rollout.

Those are the stories that really keep us going, these stories of

to have such a focus, because we create our reality, if you think about it.

that’s there, the more you see.

There really are amazing stories going on every day. Those stories are

the stories that we need. We need to make sure that they get put out. We

need to change the narrative. We need to ensure that people hear the

positive.

[1:40 p.m.]

It’s easy to only see the negative and to just become such a negative

place. The stories of hope are ones that allow us to hang on as we move

forward. It’s vital that we all work together to come back even

stronger.

British Columbia, at the start of this pandemic, was an economic

leader and has remained strong through the pandemic despite such a

challenging situation. A lot of our economic story right now, despite having

challenges — there’s much work to do — is positive.

We have moved forward under the leadership of this government,

ensuring that the supports that are in place help support people as we come

out of a challenging time. British Columbia is working hard, and that hard

work is demonstrated each day in how well our economy is doing. But we do

need to support it, because it’s not a guaranteed thing. We must continue to

work, although we can see how well positioned we are for a strong economic

recovery.

Our government is committed to improving health care, supporting

businesses as they grow and hire new employees and making record investments

in infrastructure. Our government has remained focused, through the

pandemic, on the things that make a difference, investing in people,

businesses, communities and health care, providing support for renters and

middle-class families and hard-hit small businesses, the backbones of our

community.

For so long, we as community members have turned to our small

businesses to support and sponsor things like sports programs and clubs. I

know, as a 4-H leader, we’re often going to our small businesses to support

awards for our 4-H members through scholarships.

It’s time for us, as a community, to ensure that we are supporting

those small businesses, with, for instance, our Buy Local program. That’s a

great opportunity to go out and ensure that you’re supporting businesses in

your community and giving back to them. If we support our small businesses,

as we’re moving through this pandemic, our small businesses will remember

that and continue to support us, as they did before.

Speaking of that, I wanted to take an opportunity to speak a little

bit about the Greater Langley Chamber of Commerce under the leadership of

the executive director, Colleen Clark, and an incredible board of directors.

Our chamber of commerce really has been so supportive of our businesses and

such a leader in our community through this pandemic, providing

opportunities for our small businesses to receive the information they need

to persist and move forward through the pandemic but also come out

stronger.

Organizations like the chamber of commerce really are such a vital

part of our communities. They do so much, and although they haven’t been

able to enjoy gathering together as we usually do, they’ve hosted a series

of really fantastic virtual dinners. Recently I, myself, had the opportunity

to have a morning coffee with business leaders in our community, through the

chamber, and to answer questions that are at the forefront of small

businesses.

I’d like to thank the Greater Langley Chamber of Commerce for all of

the support that they’ve provided. As an MLA, the ability to call on the

chamber to get information out in a timely way to small businesses is

something that has been so important, and I’d like to thank them for

continuing to provide that and for taking such a leadership role through the

pandemic.

Our government has remained focused through this pandemic, as I said,

on things that make a difference. I’m really proud to be part of a

government that has delivered more direct help to people through the

pandemic than any other province in Canada.

I grew up in Ontario. I quite often speak to people in Ontario. What I

hear on a regular basis is how impressed people in other provinces are with

how British Columbia has fared through such difficult times and the support

that our government has provided. We really are seen as a leader throughout

Canada and a government that has taken a very balanced approach to

navigating the challenges that a pandemic has created.

I’m really thrilled to see that the throne speech has identified a

continued commitment of targeted investments to ensure that British

Columbia’s recovery does not leave people behind. Although we have — and

we’ve heard this a few times today — all been affected by the pandemic, that

has not been equally felt. Some groups have been much harder hit,

unfortunately, by the effects of the pandemic. We need to be mindful, as we

create these supports moving through the pandemic, and to ensure that those

that are most vulnerable and those that are most likely to be left behind

are supported.

Our local communities really have been on the front lines of COVID-19.

The pandemic has been such a challenge for local governments.

[1:45 p.m.]

Our government, through the pandemic, has worked really hard to ensure

that local governments could con­tinue providing services. We saw this

in Langley East with a recent announcement of support for the Langley

Centennial Museum, which received a resiliency grant of $58,000, something

that really makes a difference for those that work and live in our

community.

We also have seen…. I’m thrilled to see that we will be continuing a

focus on infrastructure for local commun­ities, which creates economic

opportunities and great-paying jobs. We also had the opportunity to see this

in Langley East, with a $700,000 funding announcement for a new Indigenous

tourism and conference centre called the Salishan Place by the River. These

investments keep communities like Langley East moving forward. They’re all

the more important during this pandemic.

We’re also, in Langley East, looking forward to other significant

investments with SkyTrain and the widening of Highway 1 through Langley and

beyond. Langley East is a really interesting place. It is one of the

fastest-growing municipalities in British Columbia. We will be benefiting

from these new infrastructure investments, for sure.

Speaking of infrastructure investments, I had the op­portunity,

along with my colleague and friend the MLA for Langley, Andrew Mercier, to

announce the substantial completion of Langley Memorial Hospital’s new

emergency room. These are investments that make a significant difference in

the lives of people who are living in Langley East. It was a much-needed,

long-awaited ex­pansion. Our community and the surrounding communities

will benefit from this.

I’d like to quickly, though, acknowledge the important role that the

Langley Memorial Hospital Foundation plays in these infrastructure projects.

Under the leadership of Heather Scott and the rest of their fantastic board,

they really played a major role in seeing this come to fruition.

The hospital foundation board does so much in our community. I know

they have not been able to enjoy the usual galas and usual events that they

have for fundraising. But our community stepped up once again. Langley is a

very generous community, a community that comes together and rallies when

things are difficult.

The foundation has worked hard to look for unique ways to raise

much-needed funds. I know they’re looking forward to the end of the pandemic

so that we can come together once again at some of the fantastic events that

they host. They are much missed in our community.

In continuation, talking about community, community is not just the

big things — the hospital an­nouncements, the SkyTrain, the freeway.

Those are integral parts of our community.

Our government is committed to, and has shown significant support in

our community for, things like the Fort Langley Jazz and Arts Festival. That

is a community event that really brings young and old alike together, an

event that has had to change and pivot during the pandemic and that is

working hard to provide music in a meaningful way during such challenging

times.

It recently received a resiliency grant for $2,000 from our government

and another $5,000 to support the 2021 festival. I know that our community

is looking forward to hosting them once again, along with the Fort Gallery,

which is looking forward to offering their events, too, and which also

received some grants for resiliency funding.

These types of investments really touch the core of a community. These

are the peo­ple, the volunteers, that come together to create

meaningful experiences for people. You remember, especially as a youth, when

you were going on field trips or attending an event around a special

holiday. You remember these. Those supports mean a lot to those

organizations. I know that our community is grateful for the government’s

recognition of that.

Further, talking about community, one community that I know has been

disproportionately affected through this pandemic has been our faith

community. Our faith community in Langley East is very strong, very generous

and very charitable. Early on, when I was elected, I made a commitment to

meet with as many faith leaders as I could throughout our community, because

I knew that the COV­ID pandemic had really affected the ability for

people to gather and to come together, which means so much. I spoke to them

about the challenges and the support that they’ve offered us in ensuring

that people stay safe.

[1:50 p.m.]

I want to thank the faith community for stepping up and coming forward

with solutions while still offering meaningful ways for people in our

community to connect. It’s so important, especially when we think about how

much hope means right now. The ability for people of faith to come together

is so vital. I do want to thank the leaders, who have been so patient and so

kind and have been so innovative in providing those supports for people,

because our community needs them.

B.C. businesses really have been hit hard by this pandemic. One of the

things that our government has been so supportive of is helping our

businesses adapt so that they can grow and hire, so that we can come out

stronger and more resilient on the other side. Small businesses have had to

make so many tough decisions through these times, closing or reducing

services in order to protect workers and customers. These are not easy

decisions, especially our small businesses who, as I mentioned earlier, are

those that often support us through events in our community. So one of the

things that I was thrilled about was to see the continuation of support to

ensure that our businesses are strong through this.

Our government had to make some important choices early on to support

people, like cutting property taxes and prohibiting commercial evictions and

forgiving hydro bills, introducing tax incentives for businesses to hire

work­ers and make new investments. In the year ahead, I am really

excited to see how these supports announced in the throne speech will

benefit businesses, which have been hardest hit by this pandemic.

Investing in affordable housing and child care is another important

part of our economy, often one that we don’t have a lot of time to talk

about when we think about economic constructs. Ensuring that families have

affordable child care…. We had a recent announcement in Langley, which was

so very exciting of 140 new child care spaces, which was part of the

province’s ongoing commitment to increasing child care through the pandemic

and beyond.

Also, early childhood educators in Langley received almost $2 million

in wage enhancements. These are real, important investments that are

measurable and make the lives of families more affordable and easier to

navigate al­ready challenging situations — the thoughts of having to

find child care while you are an essential worker in the middle of an

already stressful pandemic. That’s why these investments matter. I know, as

a parent myself, the ability to find child care is so important.

The throne speech identified a series of targeted investments. As I

listened, I was excited to see how these will contribute to a stronger

British Columbia and a stronger Langley East, as we emerge from these most

challenging times, building resiliency as we move out of this — like

im­proved health care, fixing the cracks that existed in long-term

care; COVID-19 really exposed these — and reducing surgery wait times,

building more hospitals and ur­gent primary care and ensuring that

life is more affordable, with ICBC rates being cut by 20 percent. As a

parent of a new driver, I can’t express how excited I am about

that.

Looking at

expanding access to $10-a-day child care and supporting businesses with

grants and allowing them to pivot and build online stores and look at how

they can diversify their business. The B.C. strategic investment fund is

going to help promising B.C. firms scale up and keep jobs right here in

British Columbia.

Building more inclusive communities. Something that really….

Unfortunately, the pandemic shone a light on how important these investments

were. That’s why when our community received nearly $5,000 of funding for

the Langley Community Services Society, which will work on improving

connections and pathways of communications for those that are marginalized

or face cultural barriers…. Or the funding that came out to the Lower Fraser

Valley Aboriginal Society for the FAIR project, an organization that does so

much to build inclusivity in our community.

These announcements, throughout

British Columbia, will make our world a more tolerant and safe place for

people. We saw how affected groups are through this pandemic, and it’s

something that we really need to focus on as we move forward. I’m thrilled

that the throne speech has shone a light on this.

So as we enter this new season, I would also like to highlight our

government’s commitment to agriculture and agritech, with the new

agri­tech concierge program and several investments and supports for

agriculture such as clean tech funding and innovation support and programs

like Buy B.C. and Feed B.C.

This is wonderful news for my riding, which has a vib­rant,

growing urban core but also has a strong agricultural foundation with

approximately 80 percent of Langley township’s land being part of the ALR.

The investments provide opportunities for what are primarily family

businesses, and most farms are. They are small businesses. They’re family

businesses.

[1:55 p.m.]

These investments are wise, as they are moving towards making B.C.

more food-secure, and these are welcome in my riding. They also are vital to

farms, who, 365 days a year, provide food for us. Support for them is

essential for continued growth in our agricultural sector and is a wise

investment in our economy.

In conclusion, as I see my time is nearing the end, we have been

facing and are continuing to face some of the most challenging times of any

recent generation. As peo­ple, families and organizations rally on

this final stretch, I would like to thank our first responders, our

front-line workers who have been there every day and who have kept our

community moving forward, and all of those who have ensured that our

community has remained kind and open to serve people when needed.

I’d also like to thank our students, especially our grade 12s, for all

you have sacrificed. While doing so, you’ve remained caring and

understanding and committed to helping us move forward as we near the end of

these most challenging times.

Once again, I’m thrilled to speak today in support of this throne

speech and to talk about how it has affected my riding — the government’s

work — and how excited our riding is to see these investments as we work to

put this pandemic behind us. With that, Mr. Speaker, as I’m nearly at the

end of my time, I will take my seat now and thank you for the opportunity to

speak today in this House.

G. Kyllo: I rise in the House today to respond to the Speech from the Throne for

the second session of the 42nd parliament.

I would like to acknowledge that I’m speaking on the traditional

territories of the Lək̓ʷəŋin̓əŋ-speaking

people, the Esquimalt and the Songhees First Nations.

I would like to begin by also acknowledging the in­credible acts

of support, resilience and sacrifice by British Columbians throughout this

past year and to extend my sincere gratitude to all front-line and essential

workers for everything they continue to do and to all of the staff who are

doing their part to continue with our vital vaccine rollout.

Every British Columbian has made sacrifices in one way or another to

protect our communities, and some have sacrificed more than others. We’ll

always remember the lives lost over the past year and the pain of those that

have been separated from their loved ones that will persist for years to

come.

British Columbians continue to do their part at a tremendous economic

and emotional cost to themselves, and they’re looking to government to

ensure their sacrifices are not in vain. Government has a responsibility to

be a leader and to guide our province through this pandemic and into our

economic recovery. British Columbians were eager to see this clarity and

leadership in this year’s Speech from the Throne. Instead, they were offered

a throne speech devoid of any clear plan to help people recover, a speech

that was instead filled with aspirational slogans and empty

promises.

Now, let’s remember this is now a second-term government. This is a

government that sent British Columbians to the polls in the middle of the

second wave of the pandemic because the Premier chose to put his own

political self-interest ahead of the health and well-being of British

Columbians.

Although this government was given a second term by British

Columbians, we are now seeing the unfortunate consequences of that choice.

This government’s unnecessary election stalled our province’s pandemic

response and recovery. Vital supports and crucial actions were delayed, and

after going through all of that, this is the plan that government now has

come up with. There’s no mention of support for people and businesses as the

third wave of the pandemic continues to crest.

There is no mention of eliminating Surrey portables, no mention of the

$400 renters rebate or the promise of 114,000 new homes, commitments that

were first made to British Columbians four years ago yet remain unfulfilled.

There was no mention of the strata insurance crisis, which continues to

devastate people across our province. There was no real plan for the

environment or for addressing the 25 percent of emission reductions that are

not included in the CleanBC plan.

[2:00 p.m.]

There was no plan for women, no plan for youth. By now, it is well

known that women and youth continue to be disproportionately affected by the

pandemic, but the only reference to women in yesterday’s speech was a single

line acknowledging this troubling reality. Likewise, there was only one

throwaway line mentioning youth, but zero substance.

As for the promises that were made, most were not new promises but,

rather, unfulfilled promises that have been recycled after four years and

two terms of this administration.

This government’s throne speech ran on a message that the finish line

is in sight, that it has taken steps to put the pandemic behind us. But this

is not the case for millions of British Columbians who continue to struggle

every day, for the thousands of small businesses struggling to survive who

will likely feel the economic impact of this pandemic for years to

come.

We are deep, now, into the third wave of the pandemic. COVID cases

continue to surge, a record number of British Columbians are in ICU,

thousands of businesses are risking permanent closure and 53 percent of

British Columbians are $200 or less away from not being able to make their

monthly bills. British Columbians are turning to this government for the

support they need to endure the challenges they face, and this government’s

continued messaging of “trust us” just doesn’t cut it anymore.

The government has proven repeatedly that they cannot deliver on the

promises they outline in their throne speeches and, as a government,

delivers another set of hollow promises amidst the greatest crisis of recent

times. There’s no indication that this is going to change.

There are many examples of yet unmet promises of this government. It

is part of the role of the official opposition to highlight the failings of

current government, to hold government to account, to identify unintended

conse­quences of poorly thought policies and to provide the

counternarrative of government that is communicated through GCPE using the

tens of millions of dollars of public funds to promote the initiatives of

government.

There has been a lot of conversation around the term of affordability

and how that affects British Columbians. What we do know is that the average

family is struggling more now, under this current administration, than it

has ever been.

Increased new taxation — 23 new or increased taxation policies have

come through in the last number of years under this current government. I’ll

list them for you. It is an extensive list: employer health tax, Victoria

gas tax, Vancouver gas tax, Airbnb tax, luxury vehicle tax, tobacco tax,

property transfer tax surcharge, foreign buyers’ tax, additional school

taxes, speculation tax, photo radar, carbon tax, parking sales tax,

development cost charges for TransLink, property taxes, cannabis tax, income

tax, corporate tax increases, ICBC unlisted driver premium, B.C. Hydro

crisis fund, pre-trip ridesharing fees, personal tax increases and the tax

on soft drinks and Netflix.

All of these increased taxes do not help the average British Columbian

family with meeting the affordability challenges. These increased taxes have

accumulated to the point that it’s increased the average taxation of the

average home in British Columbia by $3,000. That’s a significant amount of

money that is taken away from a family’s own ability to meet their own

financial needs.

An MNP survey has recently stated that 53 percent, over half, of all

British Columbians are less than $200 away from insolvency. This is

extremely, much more worse than in the United States, where four out of ten

individuals are indicating they’re $1,000 away. So just think about that:

over half of British Columbians are less than $200 away from insolvency.

This government, this administration, spoke about improving affordability

for British Columbians. Nothing could be further from the truth.

Now, in addition to that, there’s the $300 that has been clawed back

in income and disability assistance. This was after months of advocacy that

the government is now only giving back $165. This is despite the

recommendations of the government’s own basic income panel.

[2:05 p.m.]

There’s been no reference to the $10-a-day child care and the failure

to deliver the promised 24,000 new child care spaces. Instead, we understand

that only 2,500, less than 1/10, of affordable spaces have actually been

opened and are funded and running to date.

There has been an extreme failure to address the opioid crisis, which

continues to get worse under this current government. This government has

been responsible for this file for four of the last five years since the

health emergency was actually identified. One thousand eight hundred British

Columbians — mothers, fathers, aunts, uncles, brothers, sisters. One

thousand eight hundred — a doubling of opioid deaths within the last

year.

We will hear members opposite and government members blame it all on

COVID. Well, COVID seems to be the panacea, the one crisis that we are

suffering and challenged with. They look to it for the reason and excuse for

all of the failings of our current government. That clearly is not good

enough. More needs to be done. In February of 2021, B.C. saw an average of

5½ deaths per day. Again, a doubling of deaths since last year.

For many British Columbians, the past year has been the most

challenging and difficult, especially for youth in our province. An ongoing

study for the B.C. Children’s Hospital has found that two-thirds of children

and youth in B.C. could be suffering from some form of mental health

challenge due to the pandemic. That’s a troubling 30 to 35 percent increase

from pre-pandemic levels.

In May of 2020, B.C.’s Representative for Children and Youth confirmed

that there were more than 2,500 youth in B.C. on wait-lists — 2,500 children

on wait-lists for services. Children and youth trying to get their first

visit to obtain clinical or psychiatric mental health services face an

average wait time of almost 55 days — nearly two months. That is absolutely

unacceptable. Could you imagine showing up at a hospital with your child

with a broken leg and being turned away and told: “Come back in 55

days.”

Government is not putting the priority around mental health challenges

and supports for our youth as they are for other forms of health care in our

province. Things need to change. Fifty percent of all British Columbians

will face some form of mental health challenge by the time they reach the

age of 40. It is certainly time for this government to show more leadership

on this file and do more to decrease the wait times that many children are

waiting for that very important first visit with psychiatric services in our

province.

One of the other challenges many families are facing on the

affordability front is the availability of housing. Now, this government

made bold promises to British Columbians back in 2017. They committed to

building 114,000 new units of affordable housing in the province over a

ten-year period. That’s 11,400 units per year. What is the record of this

current government? According to the latest B.C. Housing quarterly progress

report, only 3,246 homes have been built by this government in the last four

years — 3,246 of a promised 114,000.

We have also seen significant delays with the Pattullo Bridge

replacement now being pushed out a further year. No reference to the second

Surrey hospital and, of course, the failure to eliminate the Surrey portable

challenges.

[2:10 p.m.]

Burdened farmers with red tape and agricultural land restrictions have

found it increasingly difficult to build homes on their property, either for

extended family members or for those that are helping them in their

businesses. I’ve had a number of young farming families come to visit my

office over the last four years, absolutely outraged at the challenges that

they are seeing under this government’s administration with respect to

secondary homes on farming properties.

The list of challenges is ongoing. With respect to COVID recovery and

the vaccine rollout, we are now over 13 months since COVID actually arrived

at our doorsteps. Thirteen months. I appreciate that, in the early days,

there was much to be done, but I would have thought that a competent

government would have immediately been turn­ing their minds, 13 months

ago, to the work that needs to be done. We knew that vaccine rollouts would

happen in British Columbia at some point in time. It’s not something that

was a surprise, when the vaccines started arriving from Ottawa.

Thirteen months ago, government knew there would be a challenge with

trying to vaccinate British Columbians, over five million of us. Yet it

seems, and it certainly is apparent in the lack of performance on the

initial rollout, that things were left to the last minute. The bungling of

the initial rollout has been well reported in the media. It’s become a great

concern to many families that were waiting for that all-important,

life-saving vaccination.

Government has been highly criticized for the lack of transparency and

accountability in COVID data and reporting, which has left significant gaps

in B.C.’s COVID data. The lack of fiscal transparency throughout the

pandemic; the lack of fiscal updates; the challenge with the release of the

budget, which is now a full two months delayed; and, of course, the

challenge we had with Bill 10 last December, where basically government was

looking for a blank cheque for $12 billion, referring and relating back to a

budget that the Premier’s own words indicated was no longer valid or current

under the COVID situation….

The legislation that was lost last fall due to the snap election —

again, the unnecessary and risky snap election that took away from nine

weeks of legislative time…. If government was truly looking out for the best

interests of British Columbians, the last thing you’d be doing is calling a

risky election in the middle of a pandemic. I believe that British

Columbians should demand more from their elected leaders. The snap election

call is the worst of politics.

Now, as we look to the failed business supports, there’s been lots of

commentary from government about British Columbia having some of the highest

supports for businesses and individuals. It’s interesting. When we’re

talking about business supports, British Columbia is not leading Canada in

the amount of supports provided for our families, supporting job creators

here in our province. When you look at spending supports — these are Stats

Canada numbers, recently put out — by governments across Canada: British

Columbia, $196 per capita; Alberta, $485; Saskatchewan, $454; Ontario,

$507.

The supports that B.C. is providing in direct spending to businesses

are over 60 percent lower than that provided in the province of Ontario. The

COVID restart program…. It was the Premier, our current Premier, who

appointed himself as chair of the Economic Recovery Task Force. For over

eight months, they sat dithering, trying to figure out how they are going to

actually provide funding supports to businesses. Lo and behold, four days

before he called an unnecessary and risky snap election, they announce the

COVID restart program.

The Premier told British Columbians that there would be no delays.

Well, we know that that is absolutely false. Of the $345 million that was

allocated to the small and medium-sized business recovery grant that was

approved over a year ago, only $100 million — only $100 million, less than a

third — has been distributed so far. Businesses need supports. Businesses

are struggling. They’re failing. They’re looking for that

lifeline.

[2:15 p.m.]

The funding that was approved by all members of this Legislature, in

unprecedented fashion, last March for a $5 billion COVID recovery program —

those funds were approved with the intention that government would actually

do their part to provide those funds and put them out directly into the

hands of individuals and businesses that were struggling.

Here we are, 13 months after the $5 billion COVID re­covery fund

was approved by all members of this Legislature. We see only $100 million of

a $345 million program actually out the door. Those supports do not help

anybody when they are sitting in the government’s bank accounts. Those funds

need to flow into the economy. The sooner that those funds can be expedited

and put into the hands of those necessary businesses that are struggling to

keep the lights on and keep their employees engaged and working…. It just

can’t happen fast enough.

As we’ve heard this week, there is no new money for the struggling

restaurant industry under these new restrictions, other than reworking the

botched business program. The $50 million circuit breaker business relief

grant is using old money, money that was already targeted toward businesses.

There are no new additional funds. Government’s own failing of getting those

necessary supports into the hands of businesses…. That’s where they’ve

actually looked to, to try and fix their problem, their challenge with

getting those dollars into the hands of businesses. They’re now pulling $50

million away from a program that was previously announced.

There are so many challenges that we have in our prov­ince right

now. But one of the most important ones from a business perspective is: what

does government do to provide the necessary supports so that businesses can

remain competitive in our province?

Rather than provide supports or initiatives to actually enhance the

opportunities for business owners in British Columbia, we have seen just a

further increase in taxation. The most egregious was government’s failure to

meet their own election commitment, which was to eliminate Medical Services

Plan premiums, and we know that they did not eliminate them. They simply

replaced them with a new employer health tax that put an additional $1.9

billion of new taxation right in the hands of businesses. This is a tax that

does not exist in the neighbouring jurisdiction of Alberta.

Corporate taxes have increased under this administration. The

corporate tax in B.C. is now 50 percent higher than our neighbouring

jurisdiction of Alberta. Fifty percent. Alberta is eight. In British

Columbia, it is now 12.

In order for businesses to be able to recover from this economic

challenge, largely brought on by COVID, we need to be providing those

necessary supports. We need to be supporting business, making sure that

they’re going to remain competitive. But that is exactly the opposite

direction that this current administration is going — saddling businesses

with increasing amounts of additional new taxation and increasing amounts of

red tape, taking away from the opportunity for British Columbians to

thrive.

We just saw a report out in the newspaper today by Vaughan Palmer. The

title is: “By now, the NDP hoped the pandemic would be over. It’s not, but

they’re turning that page anyway.”

In the article, Vaughan Palmer notes and highlights the fact that

government is looking — and has advanced this in the throne speech — to

introducing legislation “to support the operations of InBC Investment Corp.”

This is a new strategic fund helping promising B.C. companies “scale up,

keeping jobs and investment at home in B.C.” It’s a great program, but it’s

a little bit late. The funding for this program was actually approved in

this Legislature over 13 months ago — 13 months ago.

I will go on: “InBC was announced last September as one of the planks

of the NDP re-election platform.” Well, that’s interesting. I thought we

approved the $5 billion COVID recovery program to help British Columbia get

through the pandemic. But the NDP conveniently decided to pull $500 million

away. Instead of providing those funds to help businesses, to help

individuals recover and get through COVID in this province, they squirrelled

it away, to only then announce it as part of their snap election

platform.

[2:20 p.m.]

It goes on. “The promise included a half a billion dollars in

financing drawn from economic recovery funding voted unanimously by the

Legislature in March of 2020.” Is this a government that is actually looking

out for the best interests of British Columbians, or is this a government

that is always looking for that political opportunity?

Funding that was made available to help individuals and struggling

businesses — the current government is playing politics with it and holding

that money back, making an announcement as part of its election platform

plank. Here we are 13 months later, and there are still no signs of the

program, no details, new opportunities for making applications. There the

money sits.

Now, there are many programs and services that, I think, are in need

of highlighting. One specifically is the community benefits program. I’ve

been recently appointed as the critic for Labour, and the community benefits

program largely cuts out 85 percent of the construction workforce in this

province. It comes at a significant cost.

I was very proud in 2015 to announce 2.5 kilometres of four-laning on

a project called Illecillewaet, 46 kilometres east of Revelstoke — 2.5

kilometres of four-laning, an initial budget $35 million, a federal

contribution $15.5 million and $19.5 million from the province.

Well, I certainly appreciate that 2015 was many years ago. However,

this was the first CBA program that was an­nounced by this government

on that particular project. The project was scaled down from 2.5 kilometres

to just 2.1 kilometres, and it was put out with their new budget, get this,

of $62.9 million. It went from $35 million to $62.9 million. There was such

a lack of interest in bidding on that project that the final bid number came

in at $85.2 million, a $50 million lift. A $35 million project now costing

$85.2 million.

That is a 257 percent increase, yet the scope of the project was

reduced from 2.5 to 2.1 kilometres. Fifty million dollars. Why? Because this

current government chose to only allow workers on these projects if they

were members of one of their 19 hand-picked unions.

It’s egregious. Fifty million dollars could employ 1,000 people at

$100,000 a year for a six-month contract or 500 jobs could be created, for a

full year, at $100,000 a year. But the decisions and choices of this

government have squirrelled the money away, certainly not to the benefit of

the average British Columbia family.

An increasing number of British Columbians are simply fed up with more

than just the empty promises, the bung­ling and the incompetence this

government has shown over the past four years. They are fed up with the

deception and the lack of transparency and accountability. Rather than take

ownership for their inherent failures to British Columbians, this government

has blamed everything and everyone but themselves throughout their

administration. Even now the fact that we’re debating this throne speech in

April, and the fact we are still waiting on a budget that has been delayed

for two months, is a testament to the disorganization and the incompetence

that this government has shown throughout its pandemic response in its two

terms now in government.

What’s worse, the government has used their time in office to slowly

strip away many of the checks and balances that keep a government and their

finances open and transparent to the public — as we saw in Bill 10, when

government wrote themselves a blank cheque for $12 billion, without a

budget, without quarterly updates or any updated fiscal picture of the

government’s financial position.

Undoubtedly, government ministers and MLAs will stand in this House

and attest that these delays and sleight-of-hand fiscal actions were all

because of the pandemic. I doubt any of them will acknowledge that the

budget, and many of the supports British Columbians are depending on to

survive the pandemic, were delayed because of their self-serving and risky

election call.

The pandemic has brought some unprecedented challenges, but claiming

this government has delayed the fiscal budget for two months because of the

pandemic alone is simply untrue. Just like a second-term government blaming

the previous government for their inherent failures, these excuses only go

so far.

[2:25 p.m.]

There comes a point when British Columbians expect their government to

take ownership for their own mistakes and failings. That time is

now.

British Columbians have made their position clear, and they are

looking for actions, not excuses. British Columbians need a government that

will offer them the necessary supports to keep their businesses open, their

families safe and their communities thriving. British Columbians need a

government that will ensure a safe and efficient rollout of the vaccine,

free of the disorganization and the bungling that we have seen in this

government’s initial rollout.

Most of all, British Columbians need a government that can actually

meet its promises to British Columbians, a government that delivers a clear,

concise and attainable plan for our families, businesses and communities

that will lead British Columbia out of the pandemic and into a strong

economic recovery so that we can build a province that generations to come

can be proud to call home.

I really hope government will move away from the secrecy, away from

choosing to keep British Columbians in the dark, and move forward with the

openness, transparency and accountability the hard-working men and women of

British Columbia and their families most definitely are

deserving.

B. Bailey: This is my first time responding to a throne speech. I do so

recognizing that none of us get here on our own. Being the elected

representative of the people of Vancouver–False Creek is an enormous

privilege and an honour. I thank first and foremost the voters of my riding

for allowing me this right and this duty.

I must also thank a number of others, including my partner, Bijan; my

family — my mom, Sam, and Zach and Esme, my kids; and my many friends and

cousins who pitched in from all over the province to work on my campaign. I

too must thank both my nomination teams and my campaign team. Taking an

inexperienced candidate over the finish line is no small task, particularly

when running against a prior mayor, leadership candidate and undefeated

politician of 27 years: Sam Sullivan.

I just want to take a moment to thank Mr. Sullivan for his long and

dedicated service to the people of this wonderful community that we share.

While we may differ in our approach to solving the issues our constituents

face, Sam’s devotion to his beloved Vancouver is indisputable.

What a riding it is. Vancouver–False Creek is a collection of urban

communities, all banded together around the creek itself, which is actually,

of course, an inlet of the Pacific Ocean of the Salish Sea. The seawall that

encircles the inlet, False Creek, is a ribbon of activity I walk every

morning, sharing it with runners, fellow dog walkers, skateboarders,

electric scooters, elderly folks with walkers, rollerbladers, wheelchair

athletes, cyclists and pretty much literally everything in between. I often

count how many languages I hear on my one-hour walk, and this morning it was

seven.

The riding includes East Kitsilano, from Arbutus Street to the Kits

Point area. This includes Bard on the Beach, the MacMillan Space Centre, the

Maritime Museum, the Vancouver Museum, Vanier Park, the Kits Point outdoor

swimming pool, Kitsilano Showboat — where you can see folks dancing — and,

of course, Kits Beach.

A new development is coming to the area. The Squamish Nation were

removed from their historic lands in the early 1900s, and now, about a

century later, are planning a cutting-edge development on their traditional

territory, on the south side of Burrard Bridge.

The name Sen̓áḵw represents the

start of something beautiful, respect for nature, for Indigenous peoples,

for healing and for a new path forward. This 10.5 acre,

four-million-square-foot property will be home to more than 6,000 rental

units. It will also be the largest net-zero carbon residential project in

Canada and the largest First Nations eco­nomic development project in

Canadian history. It will feature Coast Salish architecture and design, and

create numerous jobs and entrepreneurial opportunities for the Squamish

Nation membership in design, in construction and in operations.

[2:30 p.m.]

The riding also includes Granville Island. Granville Is­land is

one of the few remaining industrial sites in the riding, but it’s also, of

course, one of the top tourism destinations in the province. Home to more

than just wonderful local food, it’s also the home to B.C.’s first

microbrewery and many excellent restaurants.

[N. Letnick in the chair.]

It’s home to much of our art sector, including the new site of the

Arts Umbrella, the B.C. Arts Council, Arts Club Theatre, Boca del Lupo,

Carousel Theatre for youth, Ruby Slippers productions, the Fringe Festival,

Vancouver Theatre­Sports and more. There are also many, many

crafts­people who work on the island, and it’s home to both the Craft

Council of B.C. and the Federation of Canadian Artists. When the pandemic

caused the closure of theatres, this government stepped up to provide

support, through the B.C. Arts Council, as part of StrongerBC.

The community of south False Creek is an amazing com­munity

that’s somewhat less well known than its glittery sibling on the north side

of the creek. South False Creek is one of Vancouver’s pioneering waterfront

communities. It’s a highly livable, walkable, inner-city neighbourhood with

a unique mix of land uses, housing types and tenures, transportation

options, urban character and amenities.

The city of Vancouver, through its property endowment fund, owns 80

percent of the land in Vancouver’s False Creek South. The rest is owned by

other levels of government, the Squamish First Nation, or private owners.

When the neighbourhood was first built in the 1970s and ’80s, much of the

city-owned land was leased to tenants via a 50- or 60-year ground lease.

Most of these leases expire between 2036 and 2046. Considered a model of

livability, this community received worldwide recognition in the 1970s for

its progressive design, focused really on mixed-income housing and

livability. Home to multiple co-ops, including a floating co-op, it also

includes a seniors home and affordable housing.

The community was developed as a solution to the flight of

middle-class families out of the city and into the suburbs. It proved that

densified urban living can be affordable and viable. The community is now at

risk, due to long-term leases with the city of Vancouver coming up to

expiry, and the debate on the future of the community is ongoing. In my

view, we need more mixed-income communities like Vancouver–False Creek, not

less.

Olympic Village is a beautiful neighbour to south False Creek. It too

contains a successful, oversubscribed co-op amidst highrises. Featuring the

beautiful Creekside Community Centre, the BMO stage, many restaurants and a

brewery, the once industrial area is a thriving community, although one that

is missing an important ingredient to livability — an elementary school. I

remain committed to ensure that this community’s needs are met, and that

that school will come to fruition on my watch. This government is pushing

money out the door to support education and health care priorities of

British Columbians.

In addition to the many theatre attractions in Kits Point and

Granville Island, the riding is also home to Science World, a world-class

science education centre that serves not only those people who attend here

in person but, through their educational road shows — which I’ve had the

pleasure to be a part of — throughout the province. Numerous sports

facilities and teams make their homes in the riding. Rogers Arena and B.C.

Place dominate the landscape, and we all look forward to the rejoicing in

person as our beloved Canucks and B.C. Lions invite us back to witness their

triumphs in person.

Crosstown, part of Chinatown and the Downtown Eastside are parts of

the riding and are home to some of the most historic communities in

Vancouver. The people who came here to B.C. to build infrastructure and

businesses made these communities home. The Chinese, Japanese and Black

communities have long-held ties and have persevered despite all odds. The

societies that fought to preserve these legacies continue their important

work, and do so with our support.

Gastown has seen its share of ups and downs over the years. As an

aside, my great-great-grandfather and great-great-uncle founded Charles H.

Cates and Sons Limited there in 1887, having lost their first business the

year prior to the Great Fire.

[2:35 p.m.]

A raucous, rough frontier town, Gastown was home to many saloons, skid

row and businesses which stocked the ships coming into harbour. It was home,

also, to the post office riot and the hippie riot of 1971. Gastown has long

been home to a counterculture. Many years later, it’s now home to a fashion

district, multiple eateries and a mixed-income community. The pandemic has

hit this area, and much of downtown, hard.

The development of the viaduct and the new St. Paul’s hospital and

health campus, while just outside the riding, will serve the residents of

Vancouver–False Creek and the province well. Innovations in health care,

research and teaching will address the future health needs of patients,

families and the community. I’m very proud that this government has driven

forward the building and development of this health campus. We’ve also

invested in urgent care clinics, one of which is in the riding and which has

been a crucial actor in timely COVID-19 testing.

In March of this year, I moved from Kits Point to Yaletown. I can’t

tell you how lucky I feel to be able to live and rent in this beautiful

area. I get up each morning and walk my giant, goofy dog along the seawall

down to one of the off-leash parks, noting the seals and waterfowl activity

along the way.

Yaletown is a complex community with some of the most expensive real

estate in Vancouver — and thus, the world — as well as being home to some of

the most vulnerable Vancouverites. Within the same block, you can look up at

a $20 million condo while also witnessing the suffering that the opioid

crisis is inflicting upon many of my neighbours. The whole spectrum of life

is present in Yaletown, striving to live side by side.

These challenges are related to many compounding fact­ors,

including the homelessness crisis, the opioid crisis and the mental health

challenges that people face. The opioid crisis has torn apart this

community. The pandemic has brought a disruption in the supply chain of

illicit drugs, and the supply chain is dramatically more toxic than it was a

year ago.

The crisis is devastating. Hundreds and hundreds have been lost. It’s

a national emergency, and B.C. remains the only jurisdiction to create a

stand-alone Mental Health and Addictions Ministry. We’re delivering. We’ve

created more evidence-based treatment beds, more than 100 new additional

beds for adults, and we’ve doubled youth treatment beds. We’ve enabled

registered nurses to prescribe addictions treatment medications and advanced

pharmaceutical alternatives to separate people from toxic drugs. We’ve

invested in ACT teams, including in Vancouver–False Creek, and have created

access to low- or no-cost counselling. We’ve added 19 Foundry youth centres

and much more, but we know that even this is not enough and that there’s

more to do.

I’m a huge fan of the speculation tax. It has brought literally

thousands of homes online in British Columbia, many of which are in

Vancouver–False Creek. Affordable housing remains a huge issue in the

riding, but we’re making headway, and our government’s commitment to

creating housing solutions that work for people remains

steadfast.

I want to talk about business. Much of the business community driving

our province forward is located in this riding. There is a huge range of

sectors in the riding. Of course, I want to highlight the tech sector,

having worked in software for two decades. There are thousands of tech

workers in this riding: engineers, computer scientists, folks doing data

analytics, back-end developers, digital artists, project managers,

producers, accountants, business people, and so on. Especially during

Creative Industries Week, I’d be remiss if I didn’t talk about some of the

incredible creative industry work being done behind these closed doors as

you walk through our business district.

Most of us have been to Pacific Centre, usually a shopping hub. But

did you know that above Nordstrom’s is Sony Imageworks, creating incredible

animated movies, including the 2019 Oscar winner? It also won the Golden

Globe and BAFTA for Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse , featuring a

Black, Spanish-speaking teen protagonist. The renowned video game franchise

Gears of War , by Microsoft, is being built here in Yaletown.

Next door to that is Animal Logic, building the wildly successful LEGO

movies.

[2:40 p.m.]

Throughout the riding, there are hundreds of video game studios,

animation houses and visual effects studios, including, notably, LucasArts

Industrial Light and Magic, the creator of the Star Wars franchise,

right in our own Gastown location.

Really, all of B.C.’s major industries are represented in the riding:

mining, forestry, tourism, hospitality, arts and culture, sports, technology

and more. It’s all here. This is why I so strongly support this throne

speech and the work of this government, because this government does support

people in my riding, and it supports businesses. As a small business person

myself, this deeply matters to me.

The member for Shuswap, who spoke just before me, may want to read an

interesting

article written by senior economist Marc Lee, in Policy Note. In

comparing B.C. to other provinces, including Alberta and Ontario, he states:

“Across the board, B.C. is leading the nation with its economic response to

COVID-19. There are still gaps in coverage, which we hope will be addressed

in the weeks ahead, but B.C.’s additions to income and housing supports are

cushioning the blow of the COVID-19 recession, and numerous smaller measures

have been advanced to help specific groups. Other provinces should consider

developing a more robust package along the lines of B.C.”

B.C. has provided more business support than any other jurisdiction.

This is important to my riding. We created the small and medium business

grant, and when the business community told us that it needed a few tweaks,

the minister pivoted the program, extended it and was responsive to the

needs of our business community.

We heard loud and clear from the tourism sector that they had been

particularly impacted, and they, as a result, are entitled to a top-up

unique only to that sector. We listened to the business sector and lowered

the requirement for the amount of time businesses had to be in operation

from three years to 18 months. We changed the program to include providing

$2,000 to a qualified professional service provider to help create the

recovery plan. When the pandemic caused the closing of restaurants, the

minister and his team created a new program to assist 14,000 businesses in

one week. In one week.

While there is no doubt the pandemic is causing harm, this harm is

being mitigated by a government committed to putting people first, to

supporting businesses and communities and ensuring that we will build back

stronger by creating the conditions for a strong economic recovery. This

matters to the businesses in my riding. Early on, we cut property taxes,

prohibited commercial evictions and forgave hydro bills. We introduced tax

incentives for businesses to hire workers and make new

investments.

We’ve made record investments in infrastructure that will help support

a resilient economy by putting people to work and helping businesses get

goods to market. We’ve provided support for small and medium-sized

businesses, taking into account the needs of specific sectors like the

tourism sector and the restaurant industry.

We’ve continued the creation of more affordable housing solutions, and

we know that this is a factor for people looking to hire workers. We’re

investing in child care, providing solutions to parents who want to stay in

the workforce. We’ve supported businesses with grants to help them build

online stores, and we’ve announced the $500 million InBC strategic

investment fund to help promising B.C. businesses scale and hire in B.C.

This is something I’m so excited about.

Our government’s top priority remains protecting peo­ple’s

health and livelihoods as we accelerate B.C.’s vaccine rollout. Over a

million people have been vaccinated, and thousands more are getting it every

day.

Our commitment to the people of this province is the reason that I was

elected to represent this spectacular riding. This throne speech sets the

agenda going forward, and I’m very proud to support it.

K. Kirkpatrick: It’s my honour to rise in the House today and respond to the Speech

from the Throne, meant to lay out the goals and priorities of this

government as we move through the spring legislative session and into the

future. I’d like to thank the Lieutenant-Governor for her role in our

parliament and wish Her Royal Majesty Queen Elizabeth condolences on the

loss of her husband, Prince Philip.

[2:45 p.m.]

I am honoured to represent the beautiful riding of West Vancouver,

which is located on the traditional territories of the Squamish, Musqueam

and Tsleil-Waututh First Nations.

This riding stretches across the district

of West Vancouver, the district of North Vancouver and a small slice of the

city of North Vancouver. Unlike many of the members in this House, I can

drive across my entire riding in 15 minutes, which I know makes many of you

jealous.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank my constituency

assistant Tracy Dobell, whose experience and enthusiasm have made my

transition into being a new MLA all that much easier, and our new

constituency assistant Paula Slavicky, who is also becoming invaluable. Both

Paula and Tracy have deep roots in the community that we’re in. They’ve been

extraordinary in helping me understand the issues of our constituents and in

helping guide those constituents and find solutions to the challenges that

they’re facing in these uncertain times.

It goes without saying, but I will say it, that my legislative

assistant, Elishia Butler, has been invaluable in helping me navigate life

here in the Legislature. Without her and Marissa Olson, I’d be lost

wandering the halls.

I’d like to extend my thanks and appreciation to Ralph Sultan, who

stood here in this room and represented the people of West

Vancouver–Capilano for many years. He did so in a respectful, intelligent

manner, respected on both sides of this House, and I am sure he continues to

tune in to this channel.

I have had the great fortune of meeting a number of groups in my

community since becoming the MLA: Streamkeepers, For Our Kids, the West

Vancouver police department board, superintendent of the RCMP detachment for

the district of North Vancouver, Kiwanis housing, Firefighters Local 1525

and many more.

Finally, my thanks and appreciation to my family, including my

94-year-old mother, who has now discovered what is actually on Legislature

TV and tunes in regularly if there is even the slightest chance of catching

a glimpse of her daughter on television, which is then followed with an

email critique of my outfit.

Turning to the Speech from the Throne. These are extraordinary times

in British Columbia, and we are in crises. We have multiple and overlapping

crises: health, mental health and addictions, and an economic crisis that

has not been seen for generations. These have all been exacerbated by an

unnecessary snap election. But now it is time for a bold and innovative

approach to move us forward.

What I heard in this throne speech were more of the same platitudes

and promises that we’ve been hearing for the last four years. Where is the

vision? Where is the excitement about what the potential of this province

and British Columbians can do? Where are the clear commitments and action

plan that’s going to come in this next budget? I’ve heard that we are in the

same storm, but we are in different boats. Regardless of the boat we are in,

we need a lighthouse.

British Columbia has an opportunity to leverage the amazing talent and

resources that it has, but we need leadership from this government that can

paint a picture of what the future looks like and to guide us there. We need

an articulated strategy. I didn’t hear that in the Speech from the Throne.

British Columbians need to feel safe, and they can only do that if they know

there’s a plan.

Now, I may be the only person that stands up and responds to this

speech without focusing on COVID, because it’s bigger than that. We’re at a

point where we need to look down the road. We need to look at what’s going

to happen next year and the year after that, and it all starts with moving

past the excuses of COVID, the challenges of COVID and how we are going to

build for our future.

[2:50 p.m.]

The throne speech promised nothing new. It was support for mental

health, child care, affordable housing, but these are not new, and clearly,

these are issues. These are unfulfilled promises that we’ve heard from this

government for the last four years. There was no mention of supports for

people and businesses impacted right now by this relentless third wave,

which will wreak havoc for months to come.

This is a budget, government says, that will make British Columbia

stronger for everyone. If this is the case, why won’t it meet the cries of

those 17,000 social services workers who are non-unionized who are asking

for fair wages? Why do new child care policies financially cripple providers

that are trying to add daycare spaces in British Columbia — these daycare

spaces which are exactly what we need to help women and families participate

in our economy again?

The throne speech mentions daycare. Government says that it will help

even more families get access to affordable, high-quality daycare, and it

will increase the number of available $10-a-day daycare spaces. But this is

the same thing that this government has been saying for the past three

years, and this government is far from transparent in this initiative,

requiring those daycare providers participating in $10-a-day daycare to sign

non-disclosure statements so that they can’t talk about the

program.

Now, this government also promised to have 24,000 daycare spaces by

this point in their mandate. By last summer, there were only 3,490 new

spaces created by this government.

I think we have to think about the words that we use when we are

talking about those spaces. I am using the word “new” spaces. I am not using

the word “licensed” spaces. The number of 20,000, which is claimed by this

government, is largely not new spaces. They’re a reclassification of

existing spaces from being a registered daycare to being a licensed daycare.

Therefore, they have created licensed daycare spaces. But moving daycares

from registered to licensed, while being a really good thing in improving

quality and supporting daycares, is not the same thing as actually creating

those spaces, because they already existed.

In comparison, the B.C. Liberals created, between 2005 and 2017,

39,959 new spaces. That’s an average of just over 3,300 spaces per year. At

the end of this past March, government signed an additional one-year

extension agreement with the providers — these 52 pilot sites piloting the

$10-a-day daycare. Now, I have to ask: why are we still piloting something

after three years with the same number of pilot sites that we started with?

Why is there another one-year extension without our seeing a plan for

whether this is working and is going to move forward?

[2:55 p.m.]

Now, $10-a-day daycare was a fundamental and central promise from the

NDP and one that families believed in. I am hoping that the reference to

$10-a-day daycare spaces means real dollars will be dedicated in the budget

to make this a reality and not merely a stopgap waiting for the federal

government to step in. Child care in the province of British Columbia is

this government’s responsibility.

I’m also hoping that government is looking very closely at the

utilization of the $10-a-day daycare and these pilot sites to ensure that

those who need it most have access and to ensure that spaces are not going

unused. For example, a family who may only need two days a week, part-time

daycare — may they take up a full-time space because it’s less expensive for

them to pay $10 a day for full-time care than to take a traditional

part-time space at a different daycare? Now, is government tracking

utilization? This is a concern.

Of concern is also that a report was to be issued, I believe last

April, that was to look at the actual success of these daycares to see if it

makes sense to extend this into a permanent program. We’re still waiting for

that document and waiting to see if this is being successful. How can this

government say in this budget that it’s going to commit to growing $10-a-day

daycare if it doesn’t have the data to analyze how it’s currently being

utilized and if it’s doing what it’s intended to be doing?

I’d hope, also, that based on this data, which I’m only guessing

about, we’d be considering looking at a system that is an income-tested

model so that we can make sure that we are delivering scarce resources…. As

I will demonstrate in a moment, there is not much hope of adding additional

capacity and adding additional spaces because of some recent policy changes.

So how do we do something that is going to make sure that we’re using our

scarce resources and targeting support for low- and middle-income families

with dependent children?

Government says that affordable daycare will make life easier and will

support a strong economic recovery by helping more parents re-enter the

workforce and that it’s going to take steps to recognize and retain early

childhood educators, who we all know have been absolutely essential during

this pandemic. But under a recent fee cap imposed on child care providers,

many of those intending to create new spaces or thinking about potential new

spaces, even those who have spaces in development, who have signed leases,

who have already begun construction on new facilities…. I know of thousands

of these spaces that have now been put on pause.

Now, capping fees sounds like a great idea for parents, and it is. We

need to have affordable and accessible daycare. I don’t have an issue with

capping fees. I have an issue with how it’s done. It has to be reasonable

and take into account the needs of both the parents and the daycare

providers.

But this government is going about it in the wrong way. Punishing

those who want to add new daycare spaces seems counterintuitive if we want

to increase the number of spaces available. This government has somehow

determined what they’re calling market rates for daycare in certain

geographic areas, but they’re not forthcoming on what the formula is for

them to determine what a market rate is.

[3:00 p.m.]

Regardless, using this largely inaccurate rate, they’re telling

daycare providers that they can only charge 70 percent of that rate for any

new spaces that they are bringing online. This is regardless of whether your

daycare is operating out of a basement or is in a brand-new facility, paying

commercial market rents and offering enriched programming. Same market rate,

according to this government.

None of that’s considered. It makes no sense whatsoever. It’s like

walking on to a car lot, looking at two cars and expecting the fully loaded

Kia with the sunroof and the leather and the custom colour…. Why isn’t that

the same price as the baseline Kia with no remote-controlled lock? It’s not

reality.

On January 14 of this year, the Child Care Professionals of B.C. wrote

to the Minister of State for Child Care and said: “The data you collect and

the way it is collected does not compare apples to apples. As such, your

geographic fee averages or market rates are, at best, misleading and, at

worst, nonsensical.”

This is the Child Care Professionals of British Columbia: “We ask you

to (1) consult with the child care sector to en­sure the data on fee

collection is accurate and (2) create a formula and not use an average —

something that calculates current and future fee caps.” They say that they

“have already provided the minister of state with suggestions of reasonable

formulas and would be happy to discuss further.”

There has been no engagement from that letter. If this budget and this

throne speech are committed to child care and committed to helping women get

back into the workforce, why hasn’t this government demonstrated a

willingness to work with daycare providers to come up with solutions that

work for both parents and those daycare providers? Does this government not

understand how daycares operate?

Now, British Columbia tops Canada as the most expensive place to live

and to rent commercial property. There are many very expensive communities

and commercial spaces in British Columbia. It puts a strain on parents,

because we have a high cost of living, but it also puts that same pressure

and strain on daycare providers.

The average daycare provider in British Columbia has a margin of about

2 percent. Rent and labour are the two biggest expenses. Rather than pushing

the cost of daycare down to the providers, why not look at other policy

adjustments and be creative? For example, in Ontario, you need 30 square

feet per child for capacity in a daycare, and here you need 40. Now, that,

obviously, is a cost driver, if you’re looking at the cost of child care in

Ontario versus the cost of child care here.

When child care operators are squeezed to cut costs, it reduces their

ability to provide tools and supplies to children and to purchase needed

equipment. Most concerning, it squeezes the wages of ECE workers. I heard in

the Speech from the Throne that there was a commitment to support and retain

ECE workers, as they have been invaluable during the pandemic.

The allowable rates now, for most daycare providers, if you’re opening

new spaces, are going to be less than the actual cost to provide those

spaces. So for every additional new daycare space in British Columbia, a

daycare operator will now lose money.

There is no reality where this, actually, is going to create more

affordable daycare. What I have witnessed from this government is the poor

implementation of flawed programs which are meant to do one thing and which

do some­thing completely different.

Children in care. I didn’t see anything about children in care. Even

prior to the pandemic, this government knew that children in care were

struggling.

[3:05 p.m.]

Without stable family care, some of these young people move 20 times

before they age out of care. Can you imagine the mental and physical toll

that would take on a young person, who is just forming, who is just learning

about who they are and their sense of self?

Now, I would hope that the budget we hear will support the

implementation of the recommendations by the Representative for Children and

Youth, including supporting a young person in care past age 19 and the

automatic enrolment of all young people, across all types of care, in youth

agreements, in agreements with young adults, which will carry them through

until age 27.

Government takes on the role of parenting when they bring a young

person into care, and parenting does not end on that young person’s 19th

birthday. We need investment in improving transition planning for youth in

care, which should start at least at 14 and carry through and extend until

19. We need to develop mental health, addictions and substance use services

and programs specifically for youth in care transitioning to

adulthood.

We know that young people with involvement with MCFD have a much more

difficult time managing this complex and expensive world. There are

increased suicide rates, incidences of incarceration, homelessness,

addiction, victimization and more. We need money and programs to break the

cycle of destruction in young people’s lives. We need to invest in children

in care.

Investing in children in care is letting them know they matter. The

more support that we can provide to youth in care, the more support we

provide upfront and early, the healthier and more independent they will be

as adults. So we are hopeful that in this budget, we will see support for

the implementation of the recommendations of the Representative for Children

and Youth.

I saw housing in this speech. The government says that it will pursue

its goal of a province where everybody has access to safe and affordable

housing. This is a noble commitment and one we all fully support. Housing is

a human right. We need innovative and new ideas about how we think about

housing.

This budget will include investments through 2021 to help thousands of

missing middle rental homes to be built throughout the province, but we

heard no mention of the previously committed to $400 renters rebate or the

promise my colleague referenced of the 114,000 new, affordable homes. While

vacancy rates have increased, only due to the pandemic, rents have also

continued to increase.

I’d like to remind the House that in 2017, the NDP promised to build

114,000 new rental and co-op homes in ten years. Government said it would

“saturate the housing market with new affordable supply.” Well, I don’t

think any of us can see that saturation. As of last summer, the provincial

government’s own numbers show us that just 2,963 of those 114,000 affordable

units have been completed. Government will need to go from creating just

under 1,000 units per year to creating just under 16,000 units per year for

it to meet that highly touted election promise.

How do we encourage the private sector to build rental accommodation

in British Columbia? I will tell you how not to do that, and that would be

to introduce a long-term rental freeze unless this government also has the

ability to freeze costs. This appears to be the same tactic that is being

taken with daycare providers: freezing what they can charge but with no

ability to freeze what it costs to provide those services.

[3:10 p.m.]

Will the 2021 budget address the gaps in the previous commitment, or

is it now making a new commitment to build housing? Will there be money, as

recommended by the Representative for Children and Youth, to add additional,

dedicated housing for youth and young adults leaving care? The

representative writes that “there is perhaps no greater challenge facing

young people transitioning out of care than finding appropriate, affordable

and safe housing.”

The speech talks about business. Government says it is proud of its

300 biopharmaceutical, medical device and bioproduct companies, and it

should be. But what has this government done to make it attractive for those

businesses to want to remain in British Columbia and for money to come into

British Columbia for investment? This is not today, because of COVID and the

pandemic. This is: how are we building British Columbia for the future and

how are we attracting business and investment?

World-class health care, education, and social supports cannot be

advanced without the additional resources derived from private sector

growth. I worry that this government does not understand that. According to

the B.C. Business Council, there are only 700 private companies with 300 or

more employees in British Columbia. Small and medium-sized companies make up

the greater share of the economy — that means contribution of employment and

contribution to GDP — more so than in any other jurisdiction in Canada.

These are the kinds of businesses that have fewer resources to be able to

survive and recover from an extraordinary economic event that we have

seen.

We need to support both those small and medium-sized businesses with

innovative and, can I say, easy-to-access resources. But we also have to

create an environment that is going to attract larger employers and more

investments into our province. To meet both of these, we need progressive

tax structures that incentivize growth and attract investment. This

government has layered tax after tax since 2017. It has made British

Columbia less affordable and more expensive to do business. There have been

23 new and increased taxes. Vancouver is now the second most unaffordable

housing market in the world, making it even less attractive for companies to

come here, because their employees cannot find housing.

The Speech from the Throne was nothing if not light. At the most

critical juncture facing the province in generations, we were given

platitudes and promises, many recycled from previously unmet commitments.

This is after a two-month delay from the traditional timing of the

presentation of a budget. We need a vision. We need a plan.

In crisis, you need leadership that can point the way and help people

see what’s on the other side, not simply what we hope will be happening next

month. What can be on the other side, if properly planned, is an

economically healthy and socially progressive province that can provide

safety supports for British Columbians, including safe and affordable food

and housing, easily and quickly accessible mental health and addictions

support and a vibrant and innovative business community with the resources

to provide a growing number of well-paying jobs and a healthy and

sustainable environment.

Hon. G. Heyman: It’s my honour to take my place in this debate on government’s Speech

from the Throne today, virtually joining you from the traditional territory

of the Musqueam, the Squamish and the Tsleil-Waututh peoples.

It has been an extraordinary 14 months, 14 months during which our

government has focused on the needs of people, on the needs of our

communities, on the needs of business large and small. On the needs of

health care and trying to work with all members from all parties in the

House on putting British Columbians first.

[3:15 p.m.]

This is an important Speech from the Throne, just as the budget that

is coming up will be critically important. Both of them send messages to

groups in our society, to individuals who are struggling, worried about the

future, worried about the pandemic that is still with us, hoping against

hope that we can all receive our vaccinations, and we can put this pandemic

behind us and rebuild and come back stronger, because we all love this

province. We love our communities. We have tremendous respect for each other

and what we can accomplish together.

Before I talk a little bit about some of the specifics we have in the

throne speech and that I’m excited about, I want to take a few minutes to

recognize and thank some of the people I work with, as well as some of the

groups and individuals in my riding of Vancouver-Fairview that play such an

important role every day in building a strong community.

First, I want to thank the face of the Legislature in my constituency,

the constituency assistants who respond every day to concerns and issues and

problems raised by residents of Vancouver-Fairview. Nadja Komnenic, Nicolas

Bragg, Lisa Dekleer and my newest constituency assistant, Mariah Gillis,

every day think about how can they help people, how can they get them the

information they need to access the health services they need to ensure that

they’re up to date and to ensure that whatever problem they’re having,

whether it is a day-to-day problem or a problem specific to the pandemic or

a problem to do with education or accessing health care or dealing with the

needs of their small business, that they can get connected to government

programs, that they’re aware of what’s going on and they can get answers to

their questions.

Also, I’m privileged, as a member of the executive council, to carry

out programs in the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change Strategy. The

staff that work with me in the minister’s office — Sarah Shoquist, Alyssa

Hrenyk, Kelly Sather and Desmond Pollard — keep things going day to day and

support not only me but interface with the public service to ensure that we

are doing our job together, collectively, along with the Parliamentary

Secretary for the Environment.

It is an honour and a pleasure to do that work and to see how we can

focus that work on meeting the concerns and expectations of British

Columbians, that they will continue and their children and their

grandchildren will continue to thrive in a sustainable economy, one that

addresses climate change, one that respects and protects biodiversity in our

province, one that builds on our tremendous natural heritage and the rich

diversity of species that we have in B.C. We know we have an important trust

to protect those interests.

Returning to Vancouver-Fairview and the people that I represent, it’s

been critically clear in the last 14 months the important role that people

play who provide essential services, people who don’t have the luxury of

working from home, people who don’t have the ability to carry out much of

their functions via Zoom or Teams or over the Internet, but people who are

on the front lines. Health care workers, of course. We all know the

important role that health care workers play every day, whether it’s the

people who are now administering vaccines, workers in hospitals, doctors,

nurses, care aides, people who provide security and food

services.

There are also teachers — teachers who have been in schools every day,

taking care of children, educating children, ensuring that somehow we

address the needs of our children to have social contact, to have an

education, to not miss out on one bit more than can be avoided through this

pandemic. It must be a tremendously hard and stressful job, and the job that

teachers are doing day in and day out to support parents and kids is

incredible. I know it is not without fear and stress themselves.

[3:20 p.m.]

Child care workers. Child care workers are also taking care of

children, being on the front line, providing critical, essential

services.

The people who serve us food or work in the food stores where we go.

We try to make our visits less frequent and short. They’re there every day

ensuring that we’re stocked, that we’re fed, that the essentials of daily

life are there for us. These are people who are concerned about their

families and their children and their health.

I know that as we work with the provincial health officer to ensure

that we roll out vaccines as soon as they’re available and as quickly and

thoughtfully as we can, we are cognizant of those people who are out in the

community performing the essential functions — whether it’s fire, whether

it’s police, whether it’s first responders, as I’ve said, transit workers

and others — who are on the job, in public, exposing them to risks so we can

be safer. We know that as soon as we can, we will be giving them the

protections that they seek.

I also want to recognize some of the groups in Vancouver-Fairview who

keep the community whole. I’m not going to name all of them, but groups like

Little Mountain Neighbourhood House that have in the past provided a place

for people to come and gather and access programs, to have a meal, for

seniors to socialize.

Everybody has had to transform how that happens in a time of pandemic

and find new ways to reach out to try to fill that gap and void that is left

when people have to stay close at home and people are unable to circulate in

the community, when people are missing each other and people who normally

don’t have a lot of social contact and rely on places like the Little

Mountain Neighbourhood House or the South Granville Seniors Centre or the

Riley Park Community Garden. How we can bring people to­gether and

fill some of their needs for socialization and community — it is incredibly

difficult not just in my riding, of course, but all throughout

B.C.

The role that government has played to try to provide support to these

non-profits, support to centres, support to communities and support to

individuals has been a partnership. The needs of these groups to be able to

continue to provide the services that they have provided for years in a new

and different way has been brought forward to every MLA in the province, I’m

sure. We have done our best to respond and to fill the needs that people

see.

Also in Vancouver-Fairview are a range of health services and health

agencies. There’s a bit of a health cluster. Not a bit, a large health

cluster in Vancouver-Fairview.

In addition to the Vancouver Hospital and Health Sciences Centre and

the Cancer Foundation, we have the B.C. division of the Canadian Cancer

Society, which we are honouring with the daffodils this month. We have the

Alzheimer Society. We have many other health delivery organizations as well

as health research organizations, all of which are doing their best to hold

our communities together, to fill a need during the pandemic, if there are

related issues, as well as to ensure that the ongoing issues of health and

health care and health re­search that happened before, during and

post-pandemic are maintained.

The work these people do every day and the opportunity I’ve had,

whether in face-to-face meetings before or more recently in meetings over

Zoom to tell me about their work and how government can help them…. I just

want to assure people that that is invaluable — not just to me but, I

believe, to every MLA — in ensuring that the government is cognizant of what

people’s needs are, what the needs are of the organizations that help people

on a day-to-day basis and help us move forward through this extremely

difficult time.

[3:25 p.m.]

There are no easy answers. Every week brings a new problem. Every week

brings a new challenge, particularly now as we’re seeing cases rise and the

need for all of us to be as vigilant as ever, if not a bit more vigilant, to

ensure that we provide time for the vaccines to take hold and bring us to

the point where we have a form of collective community immunity. Now is the

time when we need to really focus and pay attention. We need to work with

our neighbours and friends and communities to support the actions that will

keep us all collectively safe.

Throughout this pandemic, there are many organizations, whether they

are arts organizations, cultural organizations, community organizations or

other, that have faced significant challenges. Our government has tried,

since the first early days of the pandemic, to ensure that organizations

that were vulnerable because they were always on the edge of not having

quite enough funding to carry out their mandate….

We all know that arts organizations struggle. They’re never blessed

with more than enough funding. What we can do is ensure that they’re able to

maintain the services that they provide, that they can maintain a cultural

community, that they can keep artists together and, as many of them have

done, find new ways to provide people virtual experiences and provide

artists a way of carrying out their profession and keeping our communities

together.

Let me just name a couple of organizations, both arts and cultural in

Vancouver-Fairview, that we have been able to support. I know they are

grateful, but we are grateful to them for their work. Coastal Jazz, which is

also known as the organization that sponsors the Vancouver jazz festival, is

responsible for so much enjoyment of so many Vancouverites and British

Columbians for so many years.

The music that has traditionally come to Vancouver to be heard by so

many, often in free venues, is just incredible. The Vancouver International

Jazz Festival is known as one of the premier jazz festivals in North

America. Their office is in my constituency, and they received the B.C. Arts

Council resilience supplement, which topped up their operating budget in the

face of uncertainty. It allowed their team to transition to online

programming, providing virtual concerts and multimedia

presentations.

I have had the pleasure of viewing a number of them, and as I and

others sit in our living rooms, instead of in parks or clubs, we are able to

reconnect with the tremendous creativity of musicians who are lifting our

spirits every day and ensuring that creativity and culture live on. Coastal

Jazz is shifting their strategy for a jazz festival to keep their focus on

small, local artists and new ways to connect with audiences.

Creative B.C., which is responsible for so many of the creative arts

and promotion of their work in B.C., has offices in my ministry. They’ve

benefited from the actions of two ministers for arts and culture, who have

expanded Amplify B.C. funding, a commitment of three years, and supported

career development for B.C.’s creative industry and music industry

participants.

That is part of B.C.’s $10 billion COVID-19 response. That includes

Stronger B.C., which is B.C.’s economic recovery plan to protect people’s

health and livelihoods, as well as supporting businesses and community. It

includes furthering innovation programming to find new ways to adapt to the

challenges that COVID-19 has brought the arts community, as well as further

supporting our BIPOC music community.

There are too many small businesses, as well as food establishments

and craft breweries, in Vancouver-Fairview to list them, but we have a high

concentration of small, local award-winning breweries that have been facing

many challenges over the last year. They have welcomed the circuit breaker

business grants we have provided as a form of fast relief to the COVID-19

restrictions, as a way of keeping going, staying viable and staying

strong.

[S. Chandra Herbert in the chair.]

They’re also grateful for the changes to patio restrictions during the

circuit breaker, which allowed non-food prim­ary locations to continue

to use the patios. Some of the larger local group brewers are also grateful

to be designated as part of the food manufacturing industry.

[3:30 p.m.]

There is a Japanese community volunteers association called Tonari

Gumi. They’ve adapted their food programs for Japanese seniors in the

community by transitioning their in-house bento box lunch service to a Meals

on Wheels program that weekly delivers food and care to seniors. They’ve

been offering information and referrals to seniors, and they help support

families with young children through programming and a variety of

activities, including income tax clinics, pension support and help accessing

provincial and federal services. They also maintain a multigenerational

community garden at Jonathan Rogers Park, where members host workshops on

how to cook with and care for various Japanese vegetables.

The BIPOC Creative Association, or BIPOCCA, supports BIPOC artists and

creatives who need access to space, equipment, networking with people and a

host of other resources in order to thrive. They fill a gap as an umbrella

organization, hoping to provide Black, Indigenous and people of colour with

opportunities for connection and mentorship, as well as physically and

psychologically safe places for their work to flourish. I was pleased to

present this organization, quite recently, with a grant through B.C.’s

Multiculturalism and Anti-Racism initiatives funding.

Another group in Vancouver-Fairview I was able to support through the

Multiculturalism and Anti-Racism initiatives funding was the 5X Press and

Vancouver International Bhangra Celebration Society. They have a major

presence online, especially through interactive social issues dialogues on

Instagram. It’s the de facto access point for many BIPOC creatives, because

mainstream media can be stigmatizing and tokenizing, in their view. 5X

Festival has reached more than 30,000 participants in 2020. We were pleased

to be able to offer them support and encouragement, as well as financial

assistance. I learned a lot from my Zoom meeting with them, as well as

learning how important this contribution to their work was to

them.

Finally, another group that received a grant through this program is

PEDAL Power. Their intent is to use the funding to provide a series of

workshops as a first step towards building equity and eliminating racism

within the local cycling industry.

There are so many groups, organizations and businesses in

Vancouver-Fairview that it’s an honour to represent. But what I’ve learned

in the last 14 months is how critically important a speedy response from

government has been, with programs and advice and supports, whether it’s

relief from evictions — for commercial tenants, as well as residential

tenants — whether it’s support and relief on certain taxes, whether it’s

subsidies for wages and payroll or whether it’s the most recent circuit

breaker COVID relief grants. This is keeping businesses alive and giving

them hope. The role of my community office, as well as many others, is to do

our best to provide assistance and information to people, so they can see

the end and they can find a way to stay whole and keep together.

Let me turn to some of the issues that I’m so pleased to be

responsible for in the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change Strategy

and that are being highlighted in the throne speech and that we will

continue to work on and that are contained in my mandate letter.

As part of our StrongerBC COVID recovery program, we took a focus on

debris, both plastic and fishing net debris, all up and down our coast. It

has been an issue that was raised with us by many groups, up and down the

coast, for many years. As part of our StrongerBC recovery program, we

initiated the clean coast, clean waters program. We worked with the Small

Ship Tour Operators Association, as well as Indigenous Nations, and provided

employment last summer and fall to 111 employees of the Small Ship Tour

Operators As­sociation and 69 Indigenous people from up and down the

coast.

[3:35 p.m.]

We covered about 540 kilometres of coastline. We gath­ered over

127 metric tonnes of plastic debris. A very, very significant amount of it

was fishing debris. We look forward to being able to continue that program

in the months to come.

We had $27 million and 70 projects as part of StrongerBC devoted to a

watershed and habitat restoration program throughout the province. Again,

these were projects identified by the Watersheds B.C. coalition and that

were delivered in partnership, in many, many cases, with Indigenous Nations

and Indigenous workers. We were able to focus on habitat restoration,

particularly fish habitat; natural carbon sinks and wetlands; working on

habitat to ensure that we were prepared for the impacts of climate change,

things like flood management, in the future. There’s much more work to be

done.

This is a critical example, as is the clean coast and clean waters

program, of taking the opportunity presented by the need to recover our

economy to address long-standing issues that are important today in our

communities for environmental integrity, for habitat, for biodiversity as

well as climate adaptation. That will be critically important in the

future.

We also note a commitment in the throne speech to ensuring we build

out the rapid public transit that British Columbia will need in the future,

whether it’s extending the SkyTrain all the way to Langley through the

Surrey-Langley SkyTrain project or continuing to work on the Broadway subway

and examining the future of, ultimately, a goal of extending the Broadway

subway in some form all the way out to UBC.

These are important issues. They’re important issues for carbon

emission reduction. They’re important issues for ensuring that we marry

public transit to the provision of housing and housing density, whether it

is out to Langley or along the routes to UBC, as well as connecting the

research community at UBC with the research community in Vancouver-Fairview

and elsewhere.

These are the things that build our economy. These are the things that

make life better, more convenient and more affordable for people. These are

the things that reduce congestion and link public transit with the housing

needs of people in British Columbia.

It’s critically important that we continue to invest in these

programs, and our commitment as a government is that we will do just that.

We won’t hem and haw. We won’t hold back on commitments. We won’t require

people to have divisive referendums that delay the inevitable, because the

inevitable is that we have to ensure people, goods and services in B.C.

aren’t bound up by congestion and that our economy isn’t suffering annual

losses, in the excess of $1 billion a few years ago, because we weren’t

dealing with congestion and because we weren’t providing affordable,

accessible public transit that looked to the future and is built for the

future today.

It’s also critically important that we look at what is happening with

British Columbians in terms of our desire to be outside, to be outside with

our close family, with our household. People are rediscovering B.C. parks.

That was so obvious last year when we saw more visitors to B.C. parks than

we had ever, ever seen before. People have asked us to focus on improving

parks, improving access to parks, on building more trails and building more

campsites. We have been doing that for the last three years. We had some

youth employment programs last summer and fall that were a part of our

StrongerBC recovery. We will be doing more of that in the years to

come.

Just today we announced an investment in youth em­ployment in

B.C. Parks and the B.C. conservation officer service, as well as in our

clean coast, clean waters initiative. These are providing economic recovery

support to people today. But it’s also preparing young people with skills

and interests and experience in jobs they may wish to choose for the

future.

[3:40 p.m.]

I think part of the Premier’s announcement was a young person who was

part of the youth employment program in B.C. Parks last year who now has

been hired into a policy analyst position in B.C. Parks. We are investing

not only in the development of parks but in the development of people who

will keep our parks system and our natural spaces whole and healthy for the

future.

I also want to spend a few minutes to talk about our climate plan,

CleanBC, and our clean, sustainable, diversified economy plan. We’re

continuing to work on that plan. The throne speech mentioned that we were

able to set sectoral targets — the first jurisdiction in Canada to do that.

We did that to hold government accountable so that every British Columbian

can see what we’re doing on the road to meeting our targets that have been

set for 2025, 2030 and 2040.

The Climate Change Accountability Act that we introduced requires

annual reporting, prospective explanation of what we intend to do in the

three-year plan going forward to reduce emissions and build a healthy,

diversified, low-carbon economy, and then reporting on how well we did in

meeting the goals we set for ourselves.

Sectoral targets are part of holding us accountable, as are the many

projects that we have in place to reduce emissions: to make low-carbon

transportation, whether it’s electric vehicles or public transit, affordable

and accessible for British Columbians; to reduce energy use and substitute

low- or zero-carbon energy in in-home heating and commercial-building and

public-building energy use across British Columbia; as well as to work with

our industries to continue to be a model of low-carbon economic development,

not just in North America but the world; and to ensure that through our

CleanBC program for industry, we’re turning the carbon tax back to the best

performers in the world, who exist in British Columbia, as well as

supporting project proposals that come forward to reduce emissions, whether

it’s in mining, pulp and paper, cement or elsewhere.

There is a growing demand worldwide for low-carbon commodities and

products, and in British Columbia, we’re working hard to work with business

to ensure that they remain competitive while they transform their emissions

profile and are able to provide that while we meet our portion of

emission-reduction commitments as part of Canada, for a worldwide effort to

meet the crisis of climate change.

Let me close by just talking briefly about an excellent experience I

had a couple of days ago. I was asked by a number of students from the

Maillard Middle School in Coquitlam for a meeting. They formed a group

called Single-Use Plastic Elimination Reinforcement Team, or

SUPER.

Their goal is to show leadership on reduction of use of single-use

plastics in their communities. They’ve made presentations to both the Port

Moody and the Coquitlam councils, I believe. In our meeting, they read to me

a very strong presentation on what they expected from the provincial

government in terms of enabling local communities to control and ban

single-use plastics as well as do a better job of recycling. We had a great

conversation for about half an hour.

I told them about our plans that we laid out in the CleanBC plastic

action plan. I talked to them about the bylaws that we’ve approved for

municipalities and the regulation we plan to bring in to allow

municipalities to pass their own, as well as our plans for phasing out

single-use plastics as outlined in my mandate letter. They asked what they

could do to show leadership, and the only answer I could give them was:

“You’re already doing it. You’re showing tremendous leadership.” They

inspired me. I’m sure they’re inspiring their teachers and parents and the

other local politicians with whom they meet.

That seems to me a good note on which to end. I’m happy to take my

place, and I’m happy to support this throne speech and the efforts of our

government.

[3:45 p.m.]

M. Morris: Before I get into the depth of some issues of the throne speech, I’d

just like to thank all of the front-line workers that we have in all the

communities in British Columbia. I’ve got sons and daughters-in-law that

work in child care, front-line policing, emergency services. They’re out

there every day, along with all the other communities that we have

throughout British Columbia here.

They put in countless hours of overtime dealing with people of unknown

health conditions, helping them in every way that they can. They put in

countless hours of overtime trying to keep up with the demands that they

have within the communities. They sacrifice times with their families in

order to provide that level of service that we have in British

Columbia.

Oftentimes they’ve been in contact with symptomatic people with COVID,

and they’ve had to isolate away from their families and away from their

loved ones in order to ensure that they were clear and safe enough to go

home. My heartfelt thanks to all the public and private sector workers who

have gone above and beyond over the last year and a bit to provide their

communities with a service that is going to keep them safe into the

future.

Here we are today. We’re at the beginning of the second term of

government for your government, for the NDP. This is the third throne speech

that we’ve heard. COVID is well into its second year, and now I hear we’re

in the third phase of COVID, which has some significant

consequences.

We’ve had 1,000 more tragic folks pass away since the snap election

was called. Again, I’m just going to highlight that a little bit — an

unnecessary snap election that was called for whatever reason, self-serving

reasons perhaps. It was an election that, in the view of many, didn’t put

people first, as has been the mantra of this government now for quite some

time.

I’m just wondering whether the time would have been better spent — and

I think many people have said it — providing the services that the people

have needed throughout this pandemic, to ensure that they weren’t facing the

financial crises that we see so many of them facing here today. The Premier

had said that he needed a majority government to have a clear path forward.

Well, he had that before the election actually started as well.

Nothing that has been stated in th