Second Session, 42nd Parliament

(2021) OFFICIAL REPORT

OF DEBATES

(HANSARD)

Monday, June 14, 2021

Morning Sitting

Issue No. 92

ISSN 1499-2175

The HTML transcript is provided for informational purposes only.

The PDF transcript remains the official digital version.

CONTENTS

Orders of the Day

Private Members’ Statements

Pride

S. Chandra Herbert

M. Bernier

Helping women succeed

K. Kirkpatrick

K. Paddon

In honour of the Afzaal family

B. Bailey

T. Wat

Mine permitting

T. Shypitka

M. Dykeman

Private Members’ Motions

Motion 11 — National Indigenous History Month and reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples

J. Rice

P. Milobar

D. Routley

M. Lee

G. Lore

J. Tegart

H. Sandhu

J. Rustad

B. Anderson

E. Ross

B. D’Eith

MONDAY, JUNE 14, 2021

The House met at 10:02 a.m.

[Mr. Speaker in the chair.]

Routine Business

Prayers and reflections: L. Doerkson.

Orders of the Day

Private Members’ Statements

PRIDE

S. Chandra Herbert: I want to take just a quick moment to also wish a very happy

birthday to the Deputy Chair of the Committee of the Whole, the member

for Courtenay-Comox.

Happy birthday.

[R. Leonard in the chair.]

I rise today to talk about Pride. It’s something I have spoken

about in this House before — not just pride in general, but Pride in

terms of lesbian, gay, bi, trans, questioning, two-spirit folks in this

province.

I’ve heard many folks in this chamber already celebrate Pride

Month, wish each other happy Pride, and what’s been kind of cool is the

folks doing it have not, at least to my knowledge, been out, as I am —

some would say they were straight — and are here as allies. I just want

to honour that and thank them for speaking so strongly about the need to

value diversity, the need to stand up for human rights.

This is a topic that’s not new to me in this chamber, I think

partly because of my community, partly because of who I am and where

I’ve come from and how I’ve grown up. It’s Vancouver’s West End and Coal

Harbour communities. The West End in particular has been the home of

Pride and the home of the fight for human rights for LGBTQ2S+ folks for

a long time.

[10:05 a.m.]

Now, before I move on, I’ve used some acronyms. Lesbian, gay, bi,

trans, questioning, two-spirit, plus. I remember not too long ago I was

sitting on a stage with some politicians there to celebrate Pride in

their community. One of the politicians up there, a strong ally, leaned

over to me and said: “What does that LGBLT stand for?” I said: “Well,

it’s not lesbian, gay, bacon, lettuce and tomato.”

It’s lesbian, gay, bi, trans, two-spirit, plus. Some folks add

more acronyms. Some have others to acknowledge asexual folks, intersex

folks. Really, the aim here…. “Q” for queer. Some folks say it’s in, and

some folks say it’s out, because they find it’s insulting.

The idea is inclusion, that folks that don’t fit into the

traditional binary, straight, two-picket-fence world…. Well, maybe they

have two picket fences. I certainly know some folks who do, who fit into

that world now. They need inclusion, and they want to be part of

society. In order to be included, you have to be visible. You have to be

seen.

So why Pride? Why that word? Well, I think to my own origins. How

folks that I was attracted to…. I was taught that that was a shameful

thing. I shouldn’t be attracted to men. I shouldn’t have those feelings.

So I didn’t. I pretended I didn’t. I thought through how to talk about

all of the hot models that I saw in the local magazines — and they are

hot. I guess I would say…. I’ll out myself here. I’m bisexual. Whoa. I

think most folks would say that I was a gay politician. I’ve not

corrected them, because I’m in a loving gay relationship with an

incredible husband, Romi, and with an incredible son.

In high school, of course, it was hard to understand that you

could have feelings for multiple people, that you could love folks from

both genders or folks who were of no genders or in a third place or in a

different place, because we were taught there was one way to be. Slowly,

over time, I saw that that was not the case. Yes, you could love

outside. You could love in a bigger sense than I’d been taught was

allowed.

I think that was in high school, the end of high school. I

remember telling a counsellor who I was and who I had attractions to.

She had a great idea. She said: “Well, I’m going to call a school

assembly. You can get up there on the stage, Spencer, and you can tell

everyone.” I don’t know about you, hon. Speaker, but that sounded like

about the most horrifying thing ever.

I said, “I actually want to finish high school. I don’t want to be

chased out of the school. I don’t want people beating me up. I don’t

want to be so depressed because of the hatred that I’d feel. I actually

want to finish high school. So no thank you, counsellor. I’m not doing

that,” even though it probably would have helped some kids. I think

that’s where this visibility thing comes from — this idea that you need

to be visible, so folks can see themselves and see that there is no

shame to be who you are.

I was lucky. I met my husband not too long after graduating high

school. We met not even a year later. It was the best thing that could

have happened for somebody in my place, because he already knew who he

was. He started the first gay-straight alliance in B.C., out in Maple

Ridge, as a young man. That led to people chasing him home. That led to

him having to leave school, transfer schools, because of the amount of

hatred that was directed his way.

It wasn’t just young people trying to find a better life. I speak

about these origin stories because there are so many people who stood up

against that violence and that hatred to find that better path. Teachers

at the time…. Believe it or not, some politicians at the time, in the

’90s, started pushing.

First I’ll go back. Before I was alive, before we all were sitting

in this place, governments had criminalized homosexuality in a big way.

In 1869, long before these buildings existed, of course, you could be

locked up for life. They thought it was a good change, because before

that, you could be condemned to death. They changed it to you could be

locked up for life. Of course, it took many, many more years, until

1969, when the practices were decriminalized by the federal

government.

[10:10 a.m.]

Then, from that, we jump forward. Of course, there were protests

during that period. One of my constituents, the late ted northe, told me

about how he would stand on the stairs of the courthouse in Vancouver,

dressed in full drag, to protest so that we could have better

equality.

At the time, you could be arrested for wearing the clothing of

another gender. As long as you had three items of the appropriate

gendered clothing, you’d be okay. So he had, as he put it, one pair of

men’s jockey shorts and two men’s rolled up crew socks as his breasts,

and that was enough that he wouldn’t get arrested. He would get

harassed. That’s for sure. He sure had stories about that.

You jump forward to the ’70s, Gay Liberation Front, GATE, onwards

into the ’80s. We’ll cover that off in the next section. I just want to

say it’s a long story, but it’s an important one. We’ve got to remember

that it took power and action to get to where we are today.

M. Bernier: I want to thank the hon. member for bringing this forward today

and for their remarks. As was mentioned, the month of June is and marks

Pride Month around the world and here in British Columbia. We join all

the other communities to celebrate Pride Month.

I think it’s important, though, and I think I’ll continue on with

the member’s train of thought around the history, because we have to

remember this didn’t start because of celebration. Pride Month really

started as a protest, as the member mentioned. If you think back in my

time — shortly after I was born, 1969, just over 50 years ago — in

Stonewall, rebellion took place in New York. It was quite common at that

time for the police to raid popular gay bars that were in New

York.

But in 1969, Marsha P. Johnson and Sylvia Rivera, two transgender

women of colour, decided enough is enough, and they fought back. There,

in a lot of ways, started the protests and the fight for equality that

needed to take place. It really did a lot in the United States, but that

quickly spread into Canada and around the world — fighting for equality.

Really, at that time in a lot of ways, Pride was born in that month of

June.

It took until 1999 for the Supreme Court of Canada, though, to

rule it unconstitutional to deny same-sex couples equality. Then, on top

of that, it took almost another decade to July of 2005 for the federal

Civil Marriage Act to come into place, as the member well knows, making

same-sex marriage legal across Canada.

I think it’s important, though, that we need to address in this

House that legal equality is not the same thing as social equity or

acceptance. Unfortunately, members of the LGBTQ2S+ community still face

homophobia, transphobia and biphobia. I think we all, and I know we all,

need to fight against this discrimination and intolerance in our

communities.

It’s my belief and I know it’s the belief shared by everyone in

this House that, regardless of someone’s gender identity, sexual

orientation, they should have equal rights and be treated equal in our

society. We can do a lot, still, in this House and in our society to

ensure that that happens.

Sorry.

Look, everyone deserves to love. Everyone deserves to be loved.

Thankfully, there’s supports out there for people who are feeling

marginalized and discriminated against. I’m here today also to say there

are supports out there for those that don’t understand.

As a father of a non-binary child, I’ll tell you I had questions.

What came out of that was healthy discussion, and you need that healthy

discussion to have understanding. Out of that comes acceptance and love.

I could not imagine anyone going through life not being loved or not

being able to love someone else.

[10:15 a.m.]

With that, I congratulate and acknowledge and celebrate the member

for Vancouver–West End for their love that he shares with their husband,

for being so open and for being an advocate for equality.

I think what we’ve learned over the last couple of weeks, too, is

we have to learn from history. Horrible things happened in the past. But

we need to learn from that. We can’t deny the past. We can learn from

it, and we can do better as a society.

Acceptance and inclusion is something we should all be striving

for and we need to do a better job at. But I do acknowledge and I

believe, as the member might say as well, that we have come a long way.

But we have a lot further to go.

With that — my apologies for getting emotional — I do want to, on

behalf of everyone in this House as well, congratulate and celebrate

everyone who’s partaking, which I hope is everyone, for Pride

Month.

S. Chandra Herbert: I want to thank my colleague for Peace River South for his

leadership within his caucus, as well, around these issues and in his

community. There’s no need to apologize for being emotional, because it

is emotional. It goes to the heart of who we are as human beings and who

he is as a father and as a community representative as well.

It’s a beautiful thing to be able to have that emotion and to be

open to those feelings, because for so long, so many of us have closed

off those feelings, have ratcheted down to try and be able to be safe.

To be able to be open enough that you can share those feelings means

that there is a level of safety and acceptance together, and that’s how

we grow.

Pride Month — June. There is some controversy. Should we call it

Pride Month June in B.C., in Canada? Of course, in B.C., a lot of our

big Pride events have happened in August. In my community, that’s when

Pride is. That’s when some of the first gay unity weeks happened — 1979,

1973, 1980.

Some of the big first marches happened in August. But, of course,

Stonewall and the leadership shown by transwomen of colour, I don’t

think can ever be forgotten, because they put their necks on the line

when other people weren’t willing to. They stood out as marginalized

individuals in their community with great bravery, because they knew the

cost it would have on them more so than on somebody that looks like

myself.

When we make these statements, I think one thing that’s important

to remember is many times that does lead to an increased level of

targeting. When folks speak out against racism they faced or sexism or

homophobia or transphobia, often they, themselves, then become the

target of those attacks again.

I thank my staff back at my office. You’ll probably be hearing

from some of the usual suspects that we’ve had to deal with. Apologies.

But even though most of us are moving together in a better way, there

are still those, including constituents of mine, who very much want us

to go back into a darkened path of violence and hatred.

We’ve come a long way. I agree. I think of how far in my lifetime.

In 1992, the government of B.C. added sexual orientation to B.C.’s human

rights code. It took four more years before the federal government did

that.

In 1995, same-sex adoption was added to our laws in B.C. Then in

1996, our first out MLA, Tim Stevenson, was elected and, I think, Ted

Nebbeling not too long after; in 1998, pension rights extended to

same-sex couples.

In 2003, of course, same-sex marriage. The Court of Appeal ruled

that it was okay.

In 2008, Jenn McGinn, our first lesbian, was elected to this

Legislature; 2008, the push for sexual orientation, gender identity and

education in schools began. Took another eight to ten years or so before

we fully got it implemented, but it was a start.

In 2010, I started pushing for gender identity and expression to

be added to the human rights code. Got it put in.

In 2016, the Human Rights Commission, top surgery, changing gender

markers — on and on the list goes. There does need to be more change.

The culture needs to change, not just the law.

I thank everyone for doing their part to lead to that cultural

change so we have the true love and equality everyone

deserves.

HELPING WOMEN SUCCEED

K. Kirkpatrick: I rise today in recognition of the many challenges facing B.C.

women — challenges and inequities that have been highlighted by the

COVID-19 pandemic.

[10:20 a.m.]

Our province, our country and our world have changed greatly since

the pandemic was announced almost 16 months ago. However, something that

hasn’t changed is the gender-based discrimination experienced by women,

especially women of colour and low-income women. Not only has this

discrimination remained; it has been amplified as a result of the

pandemic.

Gender-based discrimination takes many forms in British Columbia.

Although women have full legal equity under the law, deep-seated

misogyny remains within our institutions and society. The devaluing of

women’s labour, a lack of equitable political representation, an

ever-growing gender pay gap and disproportionate job loss among women

are just some of the key issues facing women in our province.

Most mothers and families, but especially single mothers and

working mothers, face the agonizing task of finding available child care

for their children. I say the task is agonizing because of the sheer

difficulty of finding an open spot, an affordable option and a child

care arrangement that suits the needs for their child. It’s too

difficult to find proper child care in this province, and this is a

sentiment that I’m sure is shared by all members of this

House.

Since 1988 women have either outnumbered or had enrolment parity

when entering UBC’s law school. How­ever, attrition in law firms

for women is significantly greater. Today women account for only about

one-third in the legal profession.

Why the discrepancy, then, between high law enrolment figures and

comparatively low post-employment figures? The Canadian Bar Association

reports that women have left the profession at double the rate of men.

Women are still more likely to be the primary caregiver for children and

are more likely to need time off for flexibility for child care or

looking after seniors. They’re more likely to be the one to care for

aging and ailing family members.

The concern that a woman, not a man, will leave to have children

is still in the back of the mind of many who are hiring. This is not

just in the law profession. This is pervasive in every profession, in

every job. Organizations are changing their cultures to accommodate the

different needs of women, but it’s too slow.

By last summer, women’s participation in Canada’s workforce was at

a three-decade low. Men are being hired back more quickly than women.

Fifty-one years ago the Royal Commission on the Status of Women in

Canada recommended a national daycare act. But it’s taken a global

pandemic for governments to finally act with urgency and recognize that

access to affordable and high-quality daycare is essential for women,

families and the economy.

The families and women of this province were promised 24,000

daycare spaces, but only 6,000 have opened to date. I urge this

government to make good on its $10-a-day daycare promise and act with

similar urgency, as it did with the supports for the pandemic, to ensure

that this province does not experience a massive women-centred recession

from women exiting the workforce, willingly or unwillingly, also termed

as the she-cession.

This leads me to the second large issue facing B.C. women today —

the gender pay gap that is also persisting. As of 2019, British Columbia

had the worst gender pay gap in hourly wages, according to Statistics

Canada, and women earned, on average, 20 percent less an hour than men.

Women also tend not to negotiate for higher annual wages, resulting in a

lower salary than their male counterparts year over year.

This is partly a gender culture issue. It isn’t a trait or

characteristic that was encouraged in women for many years. In fact, to

negotiate and to ask for more, as a woman, was often discouraged. As a

result, British Columbia has the worst gender pay gap in Canada at 18.6

percent. Countrywide, full-time women working in Canada make 76.8 cents

on average for every dollar men make.

[10:25 a.m.]

The gap is wider for women who are Indigenous, living with a

disability, racialized or newcomers. The gender pay gap is completely

unacceptable, and the issue will continue to persist unless lawmakers

address these inequities.

B.C. remains one of the three provinces that have not enacted pay

equity laws, despite the continued efforts by my colleague on this side

of the House, the member for Surrey South. It’s clear that the steps

that have been taken in British Columbia are not enough, especially as

we face a post-pandemic world with COVID-19 having unequally impacted

women. The pandemic has shone a light on the deep inequities in our

society and economic institutions, especially as women face

disproportionate job losses. Women lost 17,300 jobs in May 2021, and

14,300 of those belonged to young women.

It is clear that women, especially young women, are bearing the

brunt of the pandemic and paying the very high cost of underemployment.

It’s essential that we fight for the women deeply affected by this

pandemic and for all women in our province as we look towards building a

more equal society for the future. I look forward to hearing the remarks

from the member opposite.

Point of Order

Deputy Speaker: Members, I understand a point of order has been raised by the member

for Maple Ridge–​Mission.

B. D’Eith: Yes, thanks, hon. Speaker. I just would like to remind the members,

please, that it’s supposed to be non-partisan. That’s my point of

order.

Deputy Speaker: Thank you, Member. Yes, it’s a re­minder that this private

members’ time is non-partisan.

Debate Continued

K. Paddon: Thank you so much to the member opposite for bringing up this

important topic. When I heard the topic being discussed today, “Helping

Women Succeed,” I will admit that a flood of thoughts, facts,

frustrations and personal experiences came to mind.

Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg famously said: “I ask no favour for my

sex. All I ask of our brethren is that they take their feet off our

necks.” But we’ve moved past this, right? We know better now, and when

we know better, we do better. In many ways, we move towards a more

equitable and inclusive society every day — first, as we face the

systemic barriers, then as we institute the policies that would support

social justice.

But what about the shift in thinking? What is the foot on the

neck? This is a critical key to helping women succeed in British

Columbia. So let’s get to a place where we no longer subscribe to the

idea that there is only so much room at the top for women, which pits us

against each other and perpetuates a myth. Look at the makeup of this

House. There is room.

Let’s grow beyond identifying female value based on dismissive and

reductionist categories of virgin, mother, vixen, caregiver and crone.

And while we’re at it, let’s stop casually using words to describe women

that we would not want to hear come out of our child’s mouth. Let’s

dismiss the idea that women are tied to a biological imperative that

conflicts with being active, productive, successful employees and

leaders.

[S. Chandra Herbert in the chair.]

Let’s recognize that leadership has many faces, strength has many

images and that there are ways of leading and being strong that look

different than the popular hyper-aggressive posturing, yelling, puffing

up that has worked so well for so many for so long. Let’s move past the

culture of disbelieving, blaming, disregarding and shaming survivors of

gender-based violence. Let’s stop treating women’s health like a special

interest category that is somehow sidelined as if it’s not going to

impact the success of our society.

And let us please, once and for all, stop pretending that any

debate or vote should be able to determine the rights of an autonomous

human being to their own body. Let’s stop pretending there’s a civilized

or reasonable way to justly discuss stripping someone of power over

their own self or to even question whether a woman can choose. Let’s

stop discussing who can be or who is a woman as though this is a

referendum topic. Let’s not ignore that this continues to happen every

day.

[10:30 a.m.]

For those few examples of how we could, together, take their feet

off our necks, I would be remiss if I did not also acknowledge that

women who are racialized, differently abled or otherwise marginalized

are at even great risk of experiencing the barriers and violence that

can impede success.

This is why I’m so proud that we’re part of a team that’s getting

work done. That the government understands and is committed to the

principles that everyone has the right to feel safe, respected and

included in their home and community. That we’re taking action. That

British Columbians are seeing a historic investment in B.C.’s child care

plan, seeing investments in housing for women who are creating a life

after violence. That B.C.’s minimum wage and liquor server wage have

been raised. The majority of these employees are women. That we’re

giving extra support to women through employment and skills training so

women can stand to benefit from good-paying jobs.

Only by espousing the fact that gender equity means people of all

genders and gender expressions are treated fairly can we move forward.

This government is committed to helping people achieve what they need to

be successful.

A rising tide lifts all boats. We are in this together. There is a

lot of work that has been done and is already underway. I am proud of

the progress being made, but we know that there’s so much more to

do.

One of the biggest barriers is attitudes. Engrained, perhaps

unconscious, these interfere with the basic building blocks of need and

recognition — the recognition that a woman’s success requires her to be

safe, which she often is not; to have access to participate, which,

depending on age, race, orientation or even presentation, she may not

have; and inclusion as an autonomous, competent human being.

That starts with women being respected and valued as equals, all

of us, everywhere. We’re doing the work to bring everyone forward

together. I would ask that each of us individually also do the work in

recognizing how we contribute to the barriers to women’s success. I

would ask on behalf of the fierce and fabulous girls and women across

B.C.: help if you can. If you can’t, get out of the way.

K. Kirkpatrick: I want to begin by thanking the member opposite for her

remarks. I’m comforted that women’s issues are a non-partisan topic

and that all members of this House agree that we must fight to

ensure women have full social, political and economic equality in

British Columbia.

On reflection of the remarks, I think it’s important that we

all realize, and all members of both sides of the House agree, that

we must and can do more than we’re actually are doing in order to

address the growing gap in pay for women, the job loss, the

inadequate child care system and the treatment of women in the

workforce.

I remember, and many of the women in this House probably

recall, being in a meeting where it was primarily men. You know, you

always need somebody to take the notes in a meeting. Wouldn’t

everyone look at you, as the woman, to be the one that would take

the notes? It took me many years to figure out, as a young person

who was always a bit nervous about being in these meetings, that

that was not okay and that a man was just as capable of taking notes

as a woman was. We do have to call these things out when we’re being

treated that way in our workplace.

These systemic issues and economic inequities in British

Columbia remain vitally important to address if women are going to

continue to thrive in our province, especially as the pandemic

continues and we enter a post-pandemic world.

So many women that came before me had faced barriers and made

sacrifices. So many were asked to stay home and care for their

families or told that they couldn’t be any more than mothers and

wives. Slowly, this began to change in British Columbia as women

entered the workforce. We saw women become elected officials who

brought gender representation to this very House. But change is

slow, and many of those barriers experienced by the women before me

persist today.

Now, being a mother is a fabulous thing. Being married can be

wonderful. Having a spouse can be wonderful. These decisions are

made by choice. We must ensure that women are not limited only to

that singular path in our modern societies. There are many options

that we’re all open to.

[10:35 a.m.]

What is frustrating is that despite our many advancements,

women are still facing too many barriers. I’m incredibly afraid that

without us working together, those will continue.

I’ve also been fortunate to have two male employers over the

course of my working life who were both willing to give me a chance

to succeed and to provide me with tools and opportunities. I have a

great group of women friends who support me and support other women

in the community to have opportunities that they may not otherwise

have. So we should all work together to find solutions that work and

make women’s equality not a partisan issue.

IN HONOUR OF THE AFZAAL FAMILY

B. Bailey: Like many of us during this long pandemic, the Afzaal family had

taken up daily walking. Talat Afzaal, the grandma of the family, enjoyed

walking in the evening, right around sunset. A week ago Sunday the two

children, Yumna, age 15, and Fayez, age nine; their mother and father,

Salman and Madiha; and their 74-year-old grand­mother, Talat, set

out for an evening stroll. They couldn’t possibly have known that they

would be targeted in a horrific hate crime and that only Fayez, the

nine-year-old boy, would survive.

Madiha was working on her PhD in environmental engineering at

Western University. She’s described by friends as enthusiastic,

intelligent and generous of spirit. Salman was a registered

physiotherapist who worked with seniors. He’s described as just a

beautiful person — always smiling, always willing to help, very

kind-hearted and highly respected. Yumna Afzaal, the 15-year-old girl,

was described by her teachers as a dedicated honour roll student who

loved learning. Teachers also shared that she was interested in owning

her own business one day to give back to her community later in

life.

But none of this is to be. A 20-year-old boy, a young man,

radicalized into neo-Naziism, took their lives with his pickup truck and

ended their hopes, their dreams and left nine-year-old Fayez

orphaned.

“This is not our Canada,” some say. “I can’t believe this happened

here,” we hear. But Muslims and people of colour and those who wear

religious items other than crosses are not saying: “How did this happen

here?” They’re not saying it, because they live with Islamophobia day in

and day out.

When we say, “This is not our Canada,” we’re saying: “We don’t see

the way that you’re treated differently than I am — that when I shop at

the same store as you, the cashier greets me cheerily, but doesn’t have

eye contact with you.” When we say, “I can’t believe this happened

here,” it’s like we don’t remember the horrific attack at the mosque in

Quebec or the attack on Muslim women in Alberta last year. This can and

does happen here with sickening regularity. Islamophobia is a plague in

our society, and denying it does nothing but dismiss the lived

experience of many of our neighbours.

Instead, let’s say this: this is not the Canada we want. This is

not the pluralistic society we value. We’re lost between the vision of

what we want to believe Canada is and what it really is. And for those

of us who can live our lives without experiencing the racism that many

of our country people face, it’s all too easy to downplay that reality.

Just yesterday on the radio, I heard these murders described as an

accident. These words lighten the reality of this crime, and we need

words that reflect the poisonous and disturbing reality of Islamophobia,

hatred and racism.

We can’t continue like this. We can’t continue to deny that our

country, notwithstanding the so many wonderful things about Canada, is

deeply racist.

The Muslim community in Canada is grieving. They are frightened,

and they’re angry. I’ve been told that many are sick of hearing empty

words from politicians and leaders that don’t bring change. I’m trying

not to do that. Instead, I’d like to use the rest of my time to share

the voices of Muslim leaders across our country and to amplify them.

Please listen to their words.

Dr. Ahmed Hegazy, a friend of the family, says this:

[10:40 a.m.]

“This, to me, was a personal loss, but this issue of hate crimes

that perpetuate and happen over and over again is something that needs

to be dealt with. I think it’s important that legislators and community

leaders and, obviously, our Canadian leaders at large look at how to

define hate speech and how to actually look at hate speech proactively,

to seek it out and hold whoever brings that view forward

accountable.

“Yes, freedom of speech is absolutely important, but when it comes

to the point where you’re adding fuel to a dangerous fire, it should no

longer be allowed. When you have a 20-year-old who is so filled with

hate that he takes away the lives of people just based on how they look,

that tells me there’s something fundamentally wrong about how Muslims

are being portrayed in the media.”

For Imam Zia Khan, the targeted attack was not a shock. He said

he’s seen this kind of violence against Muslims in Canada many times.

“We’ve been scared for a very, very long time,” Khan says. “It’s

especially painful to talk to children and other young community members

about hate-motivated acts like this,” he says.

Nadia Hasan, the chief operating officer of the National Council

of Canadian Muslims, said that terrorism charges should be pursued. “We

need to be able to send a message to the Muslim community that these

types of incidents — and unfortunately, I have to use the plural there —

are taken seriously and will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the

law.”

Mustafa Farooq, CEO of the National Council of Canadian Muslims,

says this: “A man allegedly got in his car, saw a Muslim family walking

down the street and made the decision that they do not deserve to live.

He did not know them. This is a terrorist attack on Canadian soil and

should be treated as such.”

Nusaiba Al-Azem, second vice-chair at the London Muslim Mosque:

“At the end of the day, this event hap­pened because of pervasive

and structural Islamophobia, which is perpetrated in a systemic

manner.”

Firaaz Azeez, executive director of Humaniti: “The time has come

for us to have a national conversation about how to break down these

barriers, not just Islamophobia but hatred, racism,

anti-Semitism.”

Ena Chadha, chief commissioner of the Ontario Human Rights

Commission: “Incidents like this are a tragic re­minder that

Islamophobia and xenophobia are real, deadly and persist.”

Shahina Siddiqui, executive director of the Islamic Social

Services Association, says: “I think, over two decades, Islamophobia has

penetrated so deep it is literally getting into the DNA of our nation,

and we are a nation who are known for what we did to the Indigenous

population. We were still grieving…for the 215 Indigenous children whose

remains were found — and now this. How much of this, as a nation, are we

going to take? How long are we going to let this continue?”

Nawaz Tahir, a London lawyer and spokesperson for London’s Muslim

community: “These were innocent human beings who were killed simply

because they were Muslim. We must confront and stamp out Islamophobia

and Islamophobic violence — not tomorrow, today — for the sake of our

children, our families and our communities.”

T. Wat: Thank you to the member opposite for their moving words on this

topic. It is with a heavy heart that I speak on this topic, as British

Columbians join the residents of London, Ontario. Indeed, all Canadians

are mourning our loss after the horrific attack that killed three

generations of a Muslim-Canadian family.

The actions of an individual last Saturday led to the destruction

of a family and sent shock waves through a community and a nation. A man

drove a truck into a family enjoying an evening walk, and we now

understand that he did so because they were Muslims.

Salman Afzaal, his wife, Madiha Salman, their 15-year-old

daughter, Yumna Afzaal, and Afzaal’s 74-year-old mother, Talat Afzaal,

were killed. Nine-year-old Fayez Afzaal suffered serious injuries but

survived. He is now an orphan, left without his family, because of the

actions of an intolerant racist.

[10:45 a.m.]

It takes a remarkable amount of hatred for someone to undertake an

act like this. We must all take a moment to recognize that the rising

rates of hate crimes in Canada pose a significant risk to the well-being

of marginalized people, especially visible minorities and people of

colour. When discussing a tragedy such as this, I believe it is

important to discuss the rising hate that leads to this violence but

also to remember the victims. So I ask that in this chamber we all take

a moment to remember the family lost and speak about how their

colleagues, friends and community remember them.

Salman’s mother was fond of evening walks with her family. One can

imagine the civility of a walk at dusk with one’s child and

grandchildren. Madiha, a wife and mother, was described as “a sparkling,

generous, loving person that treasured education, female advancement,

equality and research.”

Jeff Renaud, CEO of Ritz Lutheran Villa, who employed Salman

Afzaal at the care home, described him as “kind and caring, loving and

deeply, deeply committed.” He said that Salman was “a great guy. He

always had a smile.” Yumna Afzaal, the 15-year-old youth taken in this

senseless act, and her younger brother Fayez, were described by their

family as “gems of our school community” and “very talented in their

academics.”

Fighting against the rise in racism that we have witnessed in B.C.

and Canada must be a mission that every British Columbian must commit to

today, not only by standing up against and calling out racism whenever

it occurs, but by celebrating the incredible contributions that Muslims

and other religious and cultural groups have made to our province and to

all of Canada. During the pandemic, I’ve come to learn firsthand the

incredible strength, dedication and generosity of our Muslim communities

and the incredible work they have done for those in need throughout the

COVID-19 pandemic, and even before it.

Throughout the pandemic, organizations like the MTO Shahmaghsoudi

have played an integral role in our global response, including in my

home community of Richmond. As MLA for Richmond North Centre, I have had

the pleasure of working with MTO Shahmaghsoudi when we delivered 45

meals to residents of modular housing in Richmond, as well as care

packages to the pediatric unit at Richmond Hospital. The organization

offers many in need more than just essentials. It delivers hope amidst

one of the greatest challenges in our recent history.

This is just one example of the kindness initiated by Muslim

communities and organizations, whose spirit of giving and being there

for one another has made our province proud in more ways than we can

describe. Today, as we affirm that we all stand against racism in all

its forms, let’s remember the remarkable Afzaal family, to whom my heart

and the hearts of all British Columbians go out. Let’s stand with our

Muslim British Columbians, who have done so much and continue to do so

much every day to make our province a better place.

B. Bailey: Thank you to the member opposite. A speaker at a recent rally in

Vancouver described that Muslim women take the brunt of Islamophobia,

because of the prominence of wearing a headscarf. Muslim women spoke of

being randomly attacked, having their hijab pulled off in public, of

being punched and kicked. That was all here in B.C.

Ignorance and dangerous stereotypes are at the root of this

abhorrent behaviour and have to be countered through their opposites:

education, and getting to know those who look differently than you.

White bystanders can learn how to safely interject and de-escalate

racist situations. We can all make the effort to learn about other

cultures and get to know someone who is outside of your normal circle. A

simple gesture such as smiling and saying good morning to a Muslim woman

wearing a hijab offers that you are not seeing them as other, but as

your neighbour.

[10:50 a.m.]

This government is serious about anti-racism. We need everyone in

B.C. to stand together in this fight and to show that discrimination in

any form will not be tolerated.

Some of our work has been completed. Much more is to be done. We

have reinstated the human rights commission. We’ve worked with

communities to redesign anti-racism programming, the new Resilience B.C.

Anti-Racism Network. We’ve almost doubled funding for the program to

provide even more support for communities that are working to prevent

and respond to racism. We’re supporting new and expanded projects in 40

communities across British Columbia.

In response to the rise of hate during COVID-19, we’ve provided

$1.9 million in new recovery money to support more anti-racism work,

including an anti-racism public education campaign.

B.C. is actually the only province in Canada with a dedicated,

integrated hate crimes policing unit. This team provides advice and

guidance to police throughout the province investigating hate

crimes.

And there’s ongoing work. We’re working to reform the old Police

Act, which is 45 years old. We’re moving ahead on the collection of

disaggregated race data. The Ministry of Education is developing a

K-to-12 anti-racism action plan. Importantly, we’ll be introducing an

anti-racism act that will commit all future governments to anti-racism

work and to bringing an anti-racist lens to decisions.

There is much to do, and while this government holds a large part

of this work, so do we all. It’s not easy work, but we’re talking about

nothing less than nation-building — building a Canada we can all be

proud of, a Canada that is safe for all of us.

MINE PERMITTING

T. Shypitka: British Columbia is blessed to have an abundance of natural

resources. Over the course of our history, we have benefited from four

primary industries: agriculture, forestry, fisheries and mining. The

signing of the Oregon treaty in 1846, which brought around the end of

the boundary dispute between the United Kingdom and the United States,

meant that the mining industry could be opened right up in our province.

This included two major gold rushes, one on the Fraser River in 1858 and

the other, in 1862, in the Cariboo district.

Today you can find mining operations in every corner of the

province — past and present. That’s because we have rich mineral

deposits of copper, coal, zinc, gold, lead and molybdenum, not to

mention our abundance of oil and gas reserves. It is also well

recognized that B.C. is Canada’s largest producer of copper and

steelmaking coal. We are the second-largest producer of silver in

Canada, and our aggregate sector are the stone, sand and gravel mines

that help build our roads, buildings, wind towers and critical

infrastructure across the province.

B.C. is also home to nearly 50 percent of Canada’s 31 critical

minerals. Molybdenum is one of these critical minerals, and B.C. is the

only producer of moly anywhere in Canada. These critical minerals will

assist the world in moving to a low-carbon economy and protect our

national security, as well as our allies’.

Also, the province is home to the world’s largest concentration of

exploration companies and mining professionals. More than 700 mining and

mineral firms choose Vancouver as their base of global operations,

making Vancouver the largest mining community in B.C.

The B.C. mining industry is capital-intensive, and companies work

extensively with suppliers from throughout the whole province, offering

efficient supply chains and superior transportation links from heavy

equipment and industrial materials to transportation, environmental

sciences and more. Every job in the B.C. mining industry supports two

jobs in mining supply and services. These include three transcontinental

class 1 railways with dou­ble-stack capability and the shortest

sea route between North America and Asia.

It is also well worth noting that the mining industry is the

largest private sector employer of Indigenous people in Canada.

Additionally, Indigenous communities in British Columbia also share in

the benefits of mining through innovative impact-benefit agreements that

mining companies enter into to help achieve lasting self-defined

community objectives.

The growth of the industry under previous governments was

tremendous, the mine exports growing 139 percent from just between 2013

to 2016. Unfortunately, the industry has slowed down considerably in the

last several years.

[10:55 a.m.]

As a matter of fact, when it comes down to the length of time it

takes for the approval of exploration permits that mining companies are

required to get from the government, British Columbia is at a tremendous

disadvantage, because it takes at least six months or more to gain

approval for exploration permits. This forces companies to make

significant investments on a potential site, but then the company has to

sit and wait for an extended period of time.

This makes many corporate leaders avoid British Columbia as a

potential jurisdiction if there are jurisdictions offering the same

product yet with a much faster approval process. Last February the

Fraser Institute published its Annual Survey of Mining

Companies , and it wasn’t very complimentary to B.C. for its

permitting times. It states:

“Amongst the three provinces which attract the majority of Canadian

exploration spending on base metals and precious minerals — British

Columbia, Ontario and Quebec — the results are somewhat mixed. For

example, Quebec, 50 percent, and Ontario, 33 percent, had higher

percentages of respondents indicating that they expected it would take

two months or less to acquire the necessarily exploration permits.

However, in British Columbia, only 13 percent of respondents were able

to acquire the necessary permits for exploration in two months or

less.

“When asked about acquiring permits in six months or less, British

Columbia again underperforms compared to its two Canadian competitors,

with the lowest percentages of respondents, 65 percent, who indicated

that they expected to spend six months or less acquiring the necessary

permits. In fact, 35 percent of respondents for British Columbia

indicated that they expected to spend more than six months to get their

exploration permits,

whereas that percentage dropped to only 17 percent

of respondents for Quebec and 19 percent of respondents for

Ontario.”

Some recent evidence suggests that the permitting process for

exploration activities is imposing significant costs and acting as a

deterrent to investment. The Fraser Institute 2020 report went on to

say: “Of the three provinces attracting the bulk of Canada’s exploration

spending, British Columbia had the highest percentage of

respondents…indicating that the time for permit approvals had either

lengthened somewhat or length­ened considerably, compared to 59

percent in Ontario and only 25 percent in Quebec.”

Our notice-of-work permits need more resources. Some $20 million

was allocated three years ago to separate compliance and enforcement

from permitting, with the addition of over 60 personnel, but we have

seen these permits take even longer. We need more experienced inspectors

and admin staff to mentor those that are new to the field. This

practical knowledge sometimes cannot be learned effectively from a

textbook alone. Every application is unique and comes with its own

unique variables. We desperately need upgrades to the computer and data

systems, in order to streamline applications and provide immediate

communication to the applicants.

There are seven mine projects near their final investment decision

that could be significant contributors to our economic recovery. The

B.C. Mining Association estimates that these projects could deliver more

than $4 billion in capital spending, 2,000 construction jobs and more

than 4,000 operating jobs, with a total economic impact of more than $8

billion.

I will hold at this stage and allow the member opposite to offer

their thoughts on improving British Columbia as a more efficient

jurisdiction when it comes to issuing permits on time and without

delay.

M. Dykeman: Thank you to the member opposite for their comments. Mining is one

of British Columbia’s oldest industries. The mining industry truly is a

foundational industry to the province of British Columbia. Also, mining

is one of British Columbia’s safest heavy industries, as a world leader

in mine health and safety practices. With a production value of $9

billion per year, this sector provides more than 30,000 good,

family-supporting jobs for people in communities throughout the

province.

Our government recognizes the importance of this industry. In

2018, the government established the Mining Jobs Task Force, which

brought together industry, labour, and First Nations to review mining in

the province and find ways to strengthen this important

industry.

With Budget 2019, our government invested $20 million, over three

years, to improve regulatory oversight and permitting, while continuing

to encourage investment and jobs. Our government is committed to

creating a mining innovation hub to identify and support innovation,

training for workers in new technologies, regulatory excellence,

environmental management and low-carbon solutions.

[11:00 a.m.]

[N. Letnick in the chair.]

Some highlights from the Mining Jobs Task Force. Recently our

government has actually implemented 22 out of 25 of the

recommendations.

These include making the B.C. mining exploration tax credit

permanent, making the B.C. mining flow-through share tax credit

permanent, extending the new mine allowance for five years, improving

the processing of mining applications and establishing an independent

oversight unit to strengthen health and safety, removing the PST for

purchases of machinery and equipment used for pollution control and

waste management, developing the B.C. mining innovation roadmap and

providing $1 million for the expansion of the Regional Mining Alliance,

a partnership between Indigenous groups, industry and the

province.

The Ministry of Energy, Mines and Low Carbon Innovation continues

to demonstrate a commitment to the competitive mining sector with a

focus on a strong regulatory oversight. The government has created a new

chief permitting officer within the ministry whose sole responsibility

is ensuring that the mining permitting process is efficient and

effective, helping to support the growth of the sector and attracting

new investment to the province.

The chief permitting officer also works to help support growth in

the mining sector and attract new investment to the province, as well as

being focused on processing permits for new major mines in order to get

these projects to a final investment decision.

In the past year, we have seen a significant improvement in major

mine permitting times. For example, in the southeast region of British

Columbia, we saw notice of departure permitting timelines for existing

mines drop from an average of 45 days to only 33 days. In the first half

of 2020, staff cleared a backlog of seven major projects in the

southeast area.

We also recognize, though, that there is a lot of work to do and

are committed to working with all parties to ensure that we have a

growing world-class mining jurisdiction that all British Columbians can

be proud of, remaining committed to improving the resource development

approvals process, including mining permit applications, and working

with industry, Indigenous Peoples, labour, communities and other

stakeholders.

Mineral exploration and mine development are fundamental and

essential industries in British Columbia and will continue to play a

critical role in the growth of our province and from a transition to a

low-carbon economy. From application submission to referral decision, it

takes an average of 280 days to process a major mine permit application

or amendments. So review and processing times can be significantly

reduced on applications with the support from local communities and

Indigenous groups where environmental factors have been sufficiently

considered.

The ministry continues to focus on processing permit applications

for major mines in order to get them to a final investment decision.

This can be seen — these changes and the attractiveness of British

Columbia — through industry investment. Significant recent investments

highlight the attractiveness of British Columbia’s mining industry and

future potential. Just a few of these include the $200 million from

Artemis Gold acquiring the Blackwater project from New Gold; $275

million from Newmont Mining Corp. and the Galore Creek

partnership.

We’ve attracted a total investment of $8.7 billion between 2017

and 2020, and the annual investment in B.C.’s mining sector grew by 20

percent since 2016.

Deputy Speaker: I apologize to the member for Kootenay East. We’re going to have

to move on at this point.

Government House Leader.

Hon. J. Whiteside: Just as I hand off to my colleague, Mr. Speaker, I ask that

the House proceed to the consideration of Motion 11 standing in the

name of the member for North Coast.

Deputy Speaker: Members, unanimous consent of the House is required to proceed to

proceed to Motion 11 without disturbing the priorities of the motions

preceding it on the order paper.

Leave granted.

Private Members’ Motions

MOTION 11 — NATIONAL INDIGENOUS

HISTORY MONTH AND

RECONCILIATION

WITH INDIGENOUS PEOPLES

Deputy Speaker: I recognize the member for North Coast.

Please keep all your speeches within the five minutes. We’re

running late, and we’d like to get everybody in.

The member for North Coast to move the motion.

J. Rice: I move:

[Be it resolved that this House recognize June as National

Indigenous History Month and continue to advance reconciliation in

partnership with Indigenous Peoples.]

National Indigenous History Month and National Indigenous Peoples

Day on June 21 is a time to recognize the rich, diverse and unique

culture and heritage of Indigenous Peoples, First Nations, Métis and

Inuit.

[11:05 a.m.]

It’s important to also acknowledge the historic colonial

injustices and ongoing discrimination that continue to affect the lives

of Indigenous Peoples. At this time, we honour the Tk’emlúps te

Secwépemc as they grapple with their investigation into the discovery of

a grave of hundreds of children on the grounds of the former Kamloops

residential school. They have stated they are the caretakers of the

children, and undoubtedly, this is a huge burden to bear. So thank you

for taking this on when previous parties have failed to

assist.

Racism, including anti-Indigenous racism, is a problem in all our

communities across British Columbia and Canada. It’s important that we

take the time during Indigenous History Month to reflect on what we can

do as individuals and communities to combat racism.

For this government, reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples is a

cross-government priority that every provincial ministry is mandated to

work on. Through new investments in the 2021 provincial budget, we’re

working together to make a difference in the lives of Indigenous Peoples

through ongoing investments in COVID recovery, affordable housing,

Indigenous language and culture, child care, mental health and

addictions, culturally safe health care, skills training and economic

development.

Through historic legislation passed in November 2019, the province

committed to implement the UN declaration on the rights of Indigenous

Peoples and uphold the human rights of Indigenous Peoples. Since then,

we’ve been developing an action plan for this work under the Declaration

on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act, in consultation and cooperation

with Indigenous Peoples in B.C. This past week, we’ve released a draft

of the action plan to get additional feedback from First Nations and

Indigenous Peoples. Once finalized, the five-year action plan will guide

the provincial government’s work to advance reconciliation in British

Columbia.

While we still have much to do, we believe the proposed actions in

this draft demonstrate our government’s commitment to pursuing true and

meaningful reconciliation together with Indigenous People. Ministries

across government have been engaging with First Nations and Indigenous

partners over the past year to develop the draft action plan and will

continue this engagement over the next six weeks to ensure that the

action plan reflects the priorities of Indigenous Peoples.

The collaboration between Indigenous leadership and ministries has

been invaluable. We appreciate the wisdom and perspectives that everyone

has brought to the table as part of these discussions. The draft action

plan includes 79 proposed actions to advance self-determination and

self-government, rights and title, ending anti-Indigenous racism, and

social, cultural and economic well-being. It’s important to note that

the draft action plan does not include all of the province’s work to

implement the UN declaration, which will continue in parallel with the

work under the action plan, including separate work to align laws to the

UN declaration.

In the past four years, we’ve been collaborating with Indigenous

Peoples to support language revitalization, to implement a new K-to-12

curriculum that makes sure children in B.C. are taught about Indigenous

culture and history, and to work to keep the care of children in

Indigenous communities where it belongs.

New revenue-sharing with First Nations from gaming activities is

supporting self-government and strong, healthy communities. We are

working with Indigenous Peoples to build affordable housing on and off

reserve, to implement a new First Nations justice strategy and to combat

racism. We are working collaboratively with First Nations on land use

planning and environmental stewardship and incorporating traditional

knowledge into resource decision-making. We are making innovative

agreements with First Nations that support self-government and

self-determination.

The StrongerBC economic recovery plan includes significant funding

to advance reconciliation and support Indigenous communities hit hard by

the pandemic. Reconciliation is an ongoing commitment to engage as

partners in ways that respect the rights of Indigenous Peoples and to

determine their own future. We still have much work to do as

governments, communities and individuals.

We are celebrating Indigenous History Month all throughout June. I

encourage everyone to take some time to learn about the Indigenous

history of the province and to think about what we each can do in our

own lives to advance reconciliation and address racism.

[11:10 a.m.]

P. Milobar: It’s my pleasure to rise today in support of the motion around

National Indigenous History Month and advancing

reconciliation.

I rise today as not only the opposition critic for Indigenous

Relations and Reconciliation but also as one of two MLAs for the

Kamloops area.

Of course, that’s a community that continues to be awash in

sadness and grief over the treatment of Indigenous children and their

families. I’m speaking, of course, about the tragic discovery of

children’s remains at the Kamloops Indian Residential School site. Our

community in Kamloops and, indeed, the entire province and country have

been gripped with sorrow over the finding of these lost

children.

For survivors of residential schools and their loved ones, the

painful memories that have been brought up all over again can’t be

forgotten. What happened at those residential schools in B.C. and across

Canada cannot be brushed off simply as history. That’s why I think it’s

critical that the timing of this month and the recognition of this month

be advanced in a meaningful way throughout British Columbia and, in

fact, throughout Canada.

It’s critically important that we as a province take this

opportunity to truly embrace reconciliation and the learning that needs

to happen and the understanding that needs to happen at a depth that we

have not seen to this point, because words do not match actions a lot of

times, unfortunately, when it comes to government and Indigenous issues,

regardless of political stripe. We have seen that over and over

again.

Kamloops has a long history of trying to advance Indigenous

issues. You think back to 1910, 1911 with the Laurier memorial that was

signed in Kamloops but never acted upon. Here we are 110 years later.

Indigenous communities are still waiting for meaningful action to be

taking place.

The unanimous support by this chamber for UNDRIP in 2019 is an

important step, but it’s only an important step if it’s actually

actioned. Time and again, Indigenous leaders have seen the much promised

action not actually take place. We need to make sure that we don’t

simply use this month as a way to learn a little bit about the history

and a little bit about how to meaningfully engage with reconciliation as

a broader community with Indigenous communities. We need to make sure

that it stimulates ongoing and real learning and a real advancement of

the issues.

It’s no longer good enough just to say we’ll pay attention for a

week or for a month or for however long the news cycle runs, and then we

will pretend like things have been solved when they actually have not.

For too long, Indigenous communities have been waiting for

that.

When we look at things like the basics around clean drinking

water, access to clean power, access to safe travel routes — especially

in and out of rural and remote Indigenous communities, so they’re not

putting their lives in peril to try to get into more populated areas for

things like health and regular day-in, day-out ways of living that

people need in a modern world — those are all meaningful steps to

reconciliation that we need to continue to keep advancing in a proper

way, in a way that actually sees results, in a way that those actions

are tangible and deliverable moving things forward.

Yes, we need to keep working in terms of resource industry and how

we meaningfully and properly engage and make sure that right on the

front step, first step of any project, Indigenous communities are

brought in, and we’re working with them around that free and prior

informed consent. That is the key to all of this. We need to make sure

that we as a society are moving forward.

If this month can do anything to advance that, that is very

significant step forward, in my mind. But as I say, it doesn’t end at

the end of this month, because this month and in July, those issues are

still going to be there. Those issues still need to be talked about.

Those issues still need to be learned, and those issues need to actually

have a tangible way forward to make sure those improvements happen for

all in our society, especially in the Indigenous communities.

As a husband and father of an Indigenous wife and Indigenous

children, it’s important watching how they keep learning about their own

family history as well, moving forward. So months like this, when I see

the layers of learning that happens over time, it’s very important for

all of us to recognize that a month is a great way to remind us that

there is a lot to learn, but we only learn it if we actually go out of

our way to make sure that we are actually truly learning, truly

engaging, truly trying to find and hear from those Elders about the

stories of how things were and how things need to be.

Thank you for the time, Mr. Speaker.

[11:15 a.m.]

D. Routley: It gives me a great deal of pleasure to address the House on this

very important issue and reflect on what our government has achieved

over these years. In fact, reconciliation is the North Star of this

government and this month of Indigenous history allows us to pay special

attention to that.

The government’s actions have been symbolic with the adoption of

the UN declaration on the rights of Indigenous Peoples, as well as

concrete, with steps like: $3 billion in gaming revenue being shared,

the first time a provincial government has done that in British

Columbia; the care of the children in First Nations being put back where

it belongs, with those nations; language revitalization programs;

on-reserve housing, the first government ever to do that; and a number

of other concrete steps that have been taken.

On the subject of language revitalization, I’d like to say a few

words to the members about two people who I know very well. One of them

is on the executive of my riding association. His mother is an Elder

from Kuper Island Penelakut Nation, who I met as a school trustee in the

2003-2004 school year when she was translating Robert Munsch stories

into Hul’q’umi’num’ and then putting that into a computer program where

would be translated into Hul’q’umi’num’ with an Elder’s voice

pronouncing that for them.

That was a very wonderful project and a wonderful way to meet

Florence James, an Elder with a great wisdom and a great generosity. I

later met her son Rocky James, who is now a member of our constituency

executive, as I said. He’s a two-spirit young man and worked for years

on the Downtown Eastside with two-spirit youth.

In this month of Pride and this month of Indigenous history, as a

bisexual man, I’d like to say a few more words about the notion of

two-spirit people and what that means. One of the important parts of

reconciliation is that it be true and it inculcate the various

institutions of our province.

It’s clear that that has happened with B.C. Hydro, when I opened

their B.C. Hydro Connected newsletter this month and saw a

special feature on two-spirit people. It went on to define two-spirit

and noted that the phrase two-spirit was first used at the Winnipeg 1990

Intertribal Native American Conference. It was the first native gay and

lesbian conference of its type.

It’s interesting and a difficult term to describe, because it is

not just simply about gender or sexuality. It’s about more than that. It

was described very well as “walking carefully between the worlds and

between the genders.” So it is interesting for us to consider this

particular lens as we view First Nations history and in the month of

Pride, how so many First Nations and Indigenous Peoples have been

discriminated against in so many different ways, but those who are

two-spirited in additional ways as well.

It’s with thoughts of them and their struggle that I would like to

bring the House’s attention to and honour them for their struggle, and

assure them that all of us struggle with these aspects of our lives and

our identity. It’s important that we remember, during Indigenous History

Month, that two-spirit people played an important role within their

cultures and continue to play an important role with reconciliation,

with Rocky James and others working with the Minister of Indigenous

Reconciliation and Relations to ensure that two-spirit voices are at the

table of reconciliation in the spirit of “Nothing about us without

us.”

With that, I honour two-spirit people in the month of Indigenous

history and Pride.

[11:20 a.m.]

M. Lee: I rise to continue discussion of the motion before this House.

It’s certainly a timely motion, which is incredibly important for us to

consider in this chamber.

This year, as we recognize National Indigenous History Month, we

do so with a different tone to past years. The last few weeks have been

incredibly raw and emotional for so many of us. We have again, once

again, been confronted with the darkest parts of the history of our

nation — the heartbreaking and horrific discovery of the remains of 215

children. The Kamloops Indian Residential School has us grieving. It has

caused us to pause and to engage in a nationwide conversation about how

we can further the process of reconciliation with Indigenous People

across the country.

We have a responsibility as elected representatives to ensure not

only that we each join this conversation, but that we work with a

renewed urgency to take meaningful action towards reconciliation, rather

than fall back on empty words and promises. As the local MLA for

Vancouver-Langara since 2017, I’ve learned a great deal about the

approaches to reconciliation from my community that I

represent.

My community office is located two blocks from Langara College,

which has a strong relationship with the Musqueam First Nation. In 2016,

the Musqueam bestowed upon the college the name

Snəw̓eyəɬ Leləm̓, which means

house of teachings. Langara College was the first public post-secondary

institution to ever receive an Aboriginal name from a B.C. First

Nation.

At the unveiling ceremony, Wayne Sparrow, the Chief of the

Musqueam First Nation said: “By honouring Musqueam and incorporating its

symbols and traditions into the very fabric of the college, you begin a

process of reconciliation and lay a foundation for new and positive

partnerships for the future.”

In September 2018, I had the honour of joining Chief Sparrow and

other Musqueam leaders in attending the unveiling of the Musqueam

listening post that now sits on the northwest corner of the campus. It

welcomes people to the traditional territory of the Musqueam people

where the college is located. This relationship between Langara College

and the Musqueam people is incredibly important and has served as an

example of what reconciliation could look like when our institutions are

truly committed to the task.

As leaders, if we are to make positive change, we need to listen.

We need to hear the stories of Indigenous Peoples and seek to understand

the impacts of more than 150 years of systemic racism and

discrimination. Then we need to honestly and earnestly work to do

better, to take real action to heal and bring genuine

reconciliation.

During my time as the official opposition Justice critic, I

visited the Kamloops First Nations court and met with Elders there.

Afterwards, one of the Elders took me through the Kamloops Indian

Residential School site. As we went through the hallways and rooms, she

brought me to see the space through her eyes, shared the stories of her

time and of the trauma she and others endured. It was an experience I

will never forget and one that I reflected on so many times particularly

over the last past few weeks.

This has been a traumatic time for Indigenous Peoples in Canada.

The discovery in Kamloops has caused many to relive their experiences

and those of their relatives, as well as to grieve the loss of these

children and all the others who suffered the horrors of residential

schools. We must confront this shameful truth, stand together and make

real change.

A simple first step that this government can take is to activate

the Select Standing Committee on Aboriginal Affairs. It’s an existing

mechanism. This government just needs to call it together to start its

work. Our Leader of the Official Opposition has already written to the

Premier making this very request. I genuinely hope that he will activate

that committee.

It is clear from the discussions this morning that every member of

this House shares the goal of meaningful reconciliation. I truly hope

that we can turn this shared goal into shared action by truly listening

and forming real relationships and real partnerships with Indigenous

People in B.C. We need to lean in and bring much-needed healing, not

just with our words but also with our actions.

[11:25 a.m.]

G. Lore: I’m so pleased to rise in the House today to speak in favour of

this motion. We often recognize the Indigenous land from which we speak

as way to begin our meetings or comments.

Here in this Legislature, we speak on the territory of the

Lək̓ʷəŋin̓əŋ-speaking peoples of the Esquimalt and Songhees Nations. As

the MLA for Victoria–Beacon Hill, it is also the land I live and raise

my family on — a never-invited guest.

Last week I stood at protocol corner with the Speaker and Clerk of

this Legislature and the Minister of Indigenous Relations and

Reconciliation, a grateful witness to the landing of canoes by the

nations, greeted by their Chiefs and joining other nations around

Vancouver Island. They joined to stand in solidarity with song and

prayer for the 215 children lost at the hands of the church and state at

the residential school in Kamloops.

I introduced myself to the Chiefs, a living manifestation of our

colonial past and present, the representative of this place in this

building. Chief Thomas of the Esquimalt Nations pointed over my shoulder

and toward the land this building stands and said: “Welcome to my

people’s village.”

As a way to speak in favour of this motion, I want to share with

this House some of the history of the land around us now. Two blocks

west of this Legislature, now Laurel Point, stood a village of the

Songhees people. It was also the site of a burial ground. One block

north of us, now the lower causeway, was Xwsзyq’әm, meaning place of

mud, known as some of the best clam beds on the coast and one end of a

popular canoe portage.

A few blocks southeast of the Legislature, a former village site

and a field for sport. This place, now known as Beacon Hill Park, is

called Míqәn, meaning warmed by the sun. It was also an important place

for the harvesting of camas.

This land — the site of our offices here, of these desks, of this

work — was designated reserve land. The Douglas treaties of the 1850s

saw four hectares of land set aside. “Our village sites and closed

fields are to be kept for our own use, for the use of our children and

for those who may follow after us.”

B.C. was the first jurisdiction in Canada to implement the UN

declaration on the rights of Indigenous Peoples through legislation

passed unanimously in this House. This National Indigenous History

Month, as we speak in support of it, we must remember the space that

this legislation was passed in, the place of this work. It is part of

the story.

Today we speak to the importance of this month and to the work

before us, mere days after 215 children were found lost and never

returned home, the loss of which is unimaginable to me as a settler and

as the mother of two small children. But it was not and is not

unimaginable to the people whose land upon which this building stands.

They told us of these losses for decades, and we must believe

survivors.

As we recognize National Indigenous History Month, I recommit to

learning and unlearning the history and roots of this place. I encourage

my colleagues in this House to do the same when they are here. Take a

walk at lunch; visit the seven Signs of Lekwungen, bronze moulds of

cedar carvings carved by Butch Dick of the Songhees Nation and placed

around the area. By the entrance to the museum, the sign celebrates the

three nations of Vancouver Island: the

Kwakwa̱ka̱ʼwakw, the

Nuu-chah-nulth and the Coastal Salish.

At the míqәn lookout, you’ll see the cast of carved sea

otters, the keepers of spiritual powers — the sign recognizing the spot

where rocks are placed in a circular pattern to signify ancient burial

sites. The sign at Songhees Point just across the Johnson Street Bridge

recognizes the four families of salmon: sockeye, coho, chum and spring.

This is an important place. Once infants learned to walk, their

p’álәc’әs , their cradles, were placed here because of the

spiritual power of the water there.

More recently there was a settlement and then a reserve that

traded with the fort on the opposite side. Members could walk to the

breakwater and see the Unity Wall Mural painted, again, by Butch Dick

and also Darlene Gait of the Esquimalt Nation. Eleven youth have

contributed to the Land and Sea Mural, mentored by an established First

Nations artist and collaborating on a design that draws on Coast Salish

art.

[11:30 a.m.]

During National Indigenous History Month, we must remember, also,

the present and the resilience. Cultural and language revitalization is

all around us.

I support this motion and am committed to the work

ahead.

J. Tegart: It is a pleasure to rise today and speak to the motion regarding

National Indigenous History Month and address the topic of advancing

reconciliation.

Before I start, I want to share a story that I heard in the early

1990s from an Elder from Haida Gwaii. She said: “They came to get our

children.” She was six years old. The cattle truck came into town. All

of the children from age six to 16 were gathered, put in a cattle truck

and sent to Port Hardy. She said that at six years old, she thought

she’d be going home for Christmas. She thought she’d go home for the

summer. She didn’t go home until she was 16.

I’ve thought about that story every time I hear someone talk about

First Nations. I share that story because I want everyone in this House

to think about what your community would look like with no

children.

We have a lot of work to do. The finding of the bodies in Kamloops

was devastating, but I truly believe it’s only the beginning. And it is

non-partisan. It is as parents and grandparents.

I have had the honour of having many people in my riding who are

First Nations share their personal stories of abuse, of loneliness. When

we hear people say: “What can we do…?” We need to listen. We need to

listen, and we need to validate. Yes, it is tough. Yes, there are lots

of tears. But we can’t move beyond that until we open our

ears.

I have the honour to represent a riding that has more than 30

First Nations bands. The knowledge, the openness, the sharing with youth

— it is unbelievable, when I think of the history, how forgiving, how

open people are to share their stories, the importance of their family.

We have so much to learn from our First Nations communities and our

First Nations friends. But it can’t just be words.

In 1992, I think, was when I heard the story from the Elder. I’ve

thought about that as I toured Kamloops Indian Residential School. I

thought about that I was in high school, and the residential school at

Lytton was still open. I thought about that as I read the Truth and

Reconciliation…. That took me probably six weeks to read

because it was so heavy. But if you want to learn, and if you want to

have an understanding, we need to understand the tough stuff. We need to

say: “We must do better.”

[11:35 a.m.]

It is a pleasure to be here today, to be in the place we’re at as

leaders, and to reach out our hands to those leaders in First Nations

communities and say: “We’re here. Please show us where we need to

go.”

Thank you very much. I am a proud grandmother of First Nations

grandchildren. I think that if we have not learned and we have not

gotten in our hearts the want to work together and move forward, then

shame on us.

H. Sandhu: I would like to acknowledge that today I am virtually joining you

from the unceded and traditional territory of the Okanagan Indian

Nations.

I am speaking in favour of this motion brought forward by the

member from North Coast, asking the House to recognize June as National

Indigenous History Month and continue to advance reconciliation in

partnership with Indigenous Peoples.

First, I would like to extend my thoughts and profound grief with

the Indigenous communities who are affected by the recent devastating

discovery of finding the remains of 215 innocent Indigenous children at

the former residential school in Kamloops. My sincere thoughts are with

the Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc Nations, also the neighbouring nations like

Syilx Nation, Splatsin Nation and all the Indigenous Nations affected by

this.

Being a mother of three children, I cannot imagine the pain

Indigenous families had to endure when their children were stripped away

from them. The traumatic experiences that these innocent children had to

experience are horrific and cruel. I am saddened beyond

words.

I would like to thank some of my constituents for sharing their

stories recently, and their relatives’ experiences with me, from the

residential schools. I want to share with the Indigenous communities

that I am here to listen, to support in any way I can, and I stand in

solidarity with them.

Sadly, the list of injustices and ongoing systemic discrimination

towards the Indigenous People is very long. Unfortunately, the recent

discovery at the former residential school is only the tip of the

iceberg, as we’ve just heard about another discovery of 104 potential

graves in a former residential school in Brandon, Manitoba, and 35 in

Lestock, Saskatchewan.

When I immigrated to Canada, I read and researched the history of

Canada before coming over in order to know more about the country I was

going to call my home for the rest of my life. Sadly, there was no

mention of these atrocities, injustices and systemic discrimination. I

then proceeded to pursue my education to continue my nursing, and then

took the Canadian citizenship exam. Again, there was no mention about

this dark, unacceptable and horrendous part of the Canadian history. I

finally started to learn more about the injustices towards the

Indigenous communities under the colonial era and its detrimental

effects on the Indigenous Peoples a few years after immigrating to

Canada, and it was upsetting.

The recent sad discovery is another reminder of the violence the

Canadian residential school system inflicted upon Indigenous Peoples and

of how the consequences of these atrocities continue to this day and

have been inflicting intergenerational trauma on Indigenous communities.

Therefore, the need for recognition of June as National Indigenous

History Month and continuation to advance reconciliation in partnership

with Indigenous Peoples is so important and urgent.

We also need to educate people around us about the history to move

forward towards meaningful reconciliation and to support Indigenous

Peoples. This step is much needed so we can all learn from the past and

speak up against such injustices to show our collective support and

advocacy. This will help us to learn about the rich culture of the

Indigenous People, their languages and how they took care of the lands

we all live, play and work on. The knowledge and conversation will also

help us and our future generations to overcome biases, stereotypes and

to unlearn many things that have been taught to us traditionally from

the twisted and brushed-off history.

I am hopeful that all members of this House will wholeheartedly

support this motion, as this is a non-partisan issue. I believe that we

are all committed to have a meaningful reconciliation in partnership

with the Indigenous communities, by their guidance.

[11:40 a.m.]

J. Rustad: I’m happy this motion has come forward: “Be it resolved that this

House recognize June as National Indigenous History Month and continue

to advance reconciliation in partnership with Indigenous

Peoples.”

I thought about this particularly from the perspective of being a

former minister associated with this and also in the light of what

happened, the discovery in Kamloops and in other locations, and the

tragedy of that.

I looked up the word “reconciliation,” and it means “the

restoration of friendly relations or the action of making one’s views or

beliefs compatible with another.” I think that’s important to have in

context in terms of reconciliation, because for too long, over

centuries, we saw governments doing things to First Nations as opposed

to actually working and trying to reconcile together, whether that’s the

Indian Act or other types of things over time.

There’s an organization I wanted to just mention and talk about a

little here, and that is Reconciliation Canada. I have great respect for

the work they’re trying to do across this country to bring people

together, Indigenous and non-Indigenous, trying to find a path forward,

trying to find ways to be able to accept each other’s perspectives, to

accept each other’s beliefs and find that path that is Canada, that is

who we should be as a nation.

Bobby Joe — or Robert Joseph, affectionately called Bobby Joe —

gave me this, which I’m wearing today. It is just a paddle on a piece of

leather. He gave me that when we were doing work together on

reconciliation. He gave me that because he felt moved to recognize that

we had come together and we’re in this together. We’re paddling together

on this journey of reconciliation. We did a lot of work together and a

lot of work with First Nations in terms of doing that.

It’s more than just agreements. It’s more than just words in a

Legislature. It’s more than just finding…. Whether it’s pathways or

whether it’s forestry or mining or these types of things, it really is

about people being able to come together and understand our history.

More importantly, though, being able to work together on solutions for

tomorrow.

I have to admit, before I became the minister for…. At the time,

it was called Aboriginal Relations and Reconciliation. I really didn’t

know much about Indigenous history. It wasn’t taught. In fact, when I

went to school, when I was in elementary school, there were no

Indigenous students in the class. It wasn’t until near the end — I think

it was grade 7 or into grade 8 — that I actually had met the first

Indigenous student working in the classroom with me. I didn’t think

anything of it. I didn’t even realize what was going on at the

time.

Later in life, as you move forward, and there are certain events,

and things are happening…. I thought: “Oh, that’s interesting. I wonder

what that’s about.” But it wasn’t until I had a chance to really delve

into it that I fully understood history. A similar thing happened in

Prince George with the renaming of what was known then as the Fort

George Park. It was renamed the Lheidli T’enneh Memorial Park. That was

a site that I had known to be a park, and before that, it was a golf

course. People said: “Why are we changing it?”

People didn’t realize that was a village. People didn’t realize

that there was a cemetery there. The cemetery is marked out, and people

had walked by it, but they didn’t think about it. They didn’t make the

connection about what that was. That, I think, was a huge step in terms

of reconciliation. There was lots of resistance. There were lots of

challenges and issues, but people were able to learn our history. People

were able to learn about what that meant and then be able to accept it.

I think that was an important piece.

That’s why I fully endorse the idea of Indigenous History Month,

because people need to understand our joint history. But more

importantly, with that, it also has to guide what we do going forward.

When we sign agreements, or when we go forward with doing things, we

have to make sure both Indigenous and non-Indigenous people are brought

together, that they understand why an agreement is to be made, that they

understand the purpose behind it. But they also have the input and

knowledge of each other’s perspectives, because without that, we’ll

never be able to achieve true reconciliation.

[11:45 a.m.]

I’m glad we’re having this debate and discussion this morning, and

I’m glad I was able to add my voice to this.

B. Anderson: June is National Indigenous History Month. With the discovery of

the children’s bodies at residential schools, we know that truth and

reconciliation is more important now than ever.

Today I would like to take the opportunity to talk briefly about

some of the history of the Yaqan Nukiy and celebrate the work they have

been doing to return their community to a self-sufficient,

self-governing and sustainable state. Historically, and since time

immemorial, the Lower Kootenay Band locally known as the Yaqan Nukiy

were the original inhabitants of the Lower Kootenay area.

The Yaqan Nukiy is one of four Canadian and two U.S. bands which

make up the Ktunaxa Nation. The people of the Yaqan Nukiy speak the

Ktunaxa language, which is one of 11 original Aboriginal language

families in Canada. The language is isolated and is not related to any

other language in the world. Robert Louie Sr., an Elder and the last

fluent speaker of the Lower Kootenay Band dialect, is preserving his

stories through a documentary that the Creston Valley Arts Council, with

the Yaqan Nukiy Heritage Society, is creating.

Prior to European contact, the Ktunaxa people were semi-nomadic

and travelled great distances within the Ktunaxa traditional territory.

In 1910, the Canadian government funded and constructed the St. Eugene

Mission School, at the time called the Kootenay Indian Residential

School. Operated by the Catholic church, the facility was the first

comprehensive Indian industrial and residential school to be built in

the Canadian west.

Operating under the government’s assimilation policy, the mission

instructed 5,000 children from the Okanagan, Shuswap and Blackfoot First

Nations, in addition to the area’s Ktunaxa Nation. The school was closed

in 1970 when government policy changed. It sat vacant for years but is

now home to St. Eugene Resort.

The building of the resort took ten incredibly difficult years.

Some believed the building held their future. Others wanted it

completely eradicated — the building, along with all of the bad

memories. Consensus began with family visits to the school, kitchen

table talks and two years of internal marketing to over 1,500 members of

the five bands who share the 130 hectares of reserve land.

Finally, a referendum was held, and all bands voted with

overwhelming support. I would like to read a quote from Elder Mary Paul:

“Since it is within the St. Eugene Mission School that the culture of

the Kootenay Indian was taken away, it should be within that building

that it is returned.”

The St. Eugene golf course opened in May of 2000 and was rated one

of the top three best new Canadian golf courses by Golf Digest

in 2001. To our knowledge, the St. Eugene Mission is the only project in

Canada where a First Nation has decided to transform the pain into a

powerful economic engine by restoring an old Indian residential school

into an international destination resort for futures to

enjoy.

Back in the Creston Valley, the Yaqan Nukiy school is an

independent band-operated school on the Lower Kootenay Band reserve. It

serves students from pre-kindergarten to grade 7 and welcomes students

of all heritages. Currently, this school has a population of

approximately 93 students. From lessons in the Ktunaxa language to

hands-on cultural activities like canoe-making, their school is at the

forefront of cultural reconciliation and knowledge-sharing.

The Lower Kootenay Band’s chief and council have focused on

economic development for their community. Their economic development

network is helping to provide meaningful business, employment and

personal development opportunities for all community members and

improving the prospects for their young people.

They purchased Ainsworth Hot Springs. If you haven’t been there,

it is an incredible experience. Sit in the healing waters overlooking

Kootenay Lake, take a swim through the cave and jump into the plunge

pool for a quick cool-off.

Hospitality and tourism are not the only businesses the Yaqan

Nukiy are engaged in. Through the Robert Logging partnership, they

conduct full-phase log harvesting and earthworks. Through the Kootenay

forage partnership, they offer hay production and sales.

[11:50 a.m.]

The Lower Kootenay Guide Outfitters offers fully outfitted hunts,

memorable B.C. wilderness adventures and photography experiences. The

Lower Kootenay Band also operates the yaqan nukiy Farms, Morris Flowers

and Garden Centre. They have everything from beef to bees to

blueberries. They’re doing all of this incredible work for their

200-plus members.

Today, for National Indigenous History Month, I am grateful to be

able to share some of the amazing work the Yaqan Nukiy are doing for

their people. I look forward to building a strong relationship with the

Yaqan Nukiy and moving forward on reconciliation.

E. Ross: You’ll have to forgive my cynicism when it comes to topics like

this, in terms of reconciliation or First Nations issues in Canada or

B.C. My views are based on my being an Aboriginal on a small reserve in

B.C. as well as being a leader. Over the last 17 years, that’s what has

actually formed my thoughts around this word.

The word “reconciliation” has become a buzzword, a political

buzzword used by politicians or organizations who want to organize First

Nations into their own agendas. Very little attention is given to the

real problems and, more importantly, the real solutions that bring real

results to real people. Instead, progressive Aboriginal leaders are

disrespected and ignored, including elected chiefs and councils, even

though they know of and are trying to solve the depth of poverty, the

violence of poverty; children in government care; chronic unemployment;

excessive Aboriginal prison rates; or devastating suicide rates,

especially among our youth.

None of my band members, in the last 50 years, has ever been

positively affected by a passionate reconciliation speech full of empty

promises and rhetoric, nor have they benefited from declarations or

announcements. My band, in fact — the Haisla band — decided to take a

chance. In the face of great opposition from all corners, we decided to

take our destiny into our own hands. In an attempt to secure a more

hopeful economic future, we pursued the private sector, like LNG

companies, that actually accepted our demands for partnerships with

First Nations.

From 2004 to 2017, our hard work translated to skills training,

jobs for people and increased revenue and growth for our communities,

and it actually provided us the opportunity to address our own issues on

our own terms. In all that time, we did not compromise our commitment to

environmental standards. We actually highered the standards of B.C. and

Canada. We got into forestry, too, by signing a forest and range

agreement with the B.C. government in 2014, our very first step into

being included in the B.C. economy.

We also got into land purchases, whether it be from the private

sector or from the B.C. government. By the way, that land that was

transferred from the B.C. government to the Haisla in 2015 is in the

final stages of addition to reserve. Combined with the other outlined

land acquisitions in the last ten years, we’ve doubled our land base.

We’ve actually secured our future for residential, commercial and

industrial use into the future, and we kept half of the land in fee

simple status.

As elected chief councillor, I asked for trust amongst my

membership to get these strategies fully employed. We had to adopt a new

and bold strategy if we were to have any chance of moving forward and

bringing new benefits to our people, because what had been done in the

past from all levels of government, including my own, just did not work.

Our new approach did, and “happy” or “proud” are not strong enough words

to describe what I see in my community today.

We don’t talk about poverty anymore. We don’t talk about the

Indian Act. It took courage and years for band members and elected

councillors to fully discover and accept this new approach, which wasn’t

really new at all. Many elected Aboriginal leaders before us had

proposed the same strategy but had been opposed, ignored or ridiculed.

Sadly, that is something that’s happening today on a provincial scale.

It is the saddest thing to see our Aboriginal leaders being ridiculed

and marginalized for someone else’s agenda. The destabilization of

elected Aboriginal leadership, in turn, destabilizes Aboriginal

communities. How hard is this to understand?

[Mr. Speaker in the chair.]

For a group of people already suffering through the worst of

social conditions, it is despicable to see outsiders manipulating

Aboriginal peoples for their own politics or reasons — no empathy,

sympathy or concern for the damage being done. As a past chief

councillor, I turned a deaf ear to the constant announcements and

speeches on reconciliation or new relationships, and I definitely made

it clear for outsiders to stay away. Instead, we stuck to our homemade

plan to become independent and self-determining, and it paid

off.

[11:55 a.m.]

That period of work was not enjoyable, but I’m glad we stuck with

it. I’m glad we stuck through the attacks and the manipulation, because

it’s a whole new, different era today for our people. It’s a win-win

situation for everyone, including the province and the country as a

whole. At the end of the day, actions speak louder than

words.

In fact, from 2004 to 2017, there were 450 agreements signed

between provincial governments and First Nations throughout the province

that actually laid the groundwork for a true reconciliation in terms of

being independent and actually resolving some of the horrible social

issues that Aboriginal people face today. These agreements and these

components of these agreements are truly what affect reconciliation,

because they affect real people on the ground.

B. D’Eith: We can’t recognize June as National Indigenous History Month

without first acknowledging and grieving the discovery of the 215 bodies

of children in unmarked graves on the grounds of the former Kamloops

Indian Residential School. This may be shocking to many Canadians, but

this issue is certainly nothing new to Indigenous

communities.

In fact, in the 2015 Truth and Reconciliation Commission:

Calls to Action , there are a number of recommendations

specifically dealing with the deaths of Indigenous children at

residential schools. Our government recognized the TRC calls to action

and started that reconciliation work very early on. In the mandate

letters of every ministry since I started in 2017, there are clear

instructions, across government, to build reconciliation into actions

and legislation from each ministry. Reconciliation is a core principle

of our government.

Now, in September 2019, UNDRIP was adopted into legislation by

unanimous support of the House, and of course, this was the first

Legislature in Canada to do so. I must say that this was one of the most

emotional and impactful moments of my time as an MLA in the Legislature.

The Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act or DRIPA, in

adopting UNDRIP, has put into law these very important articles to

address residential schools and other actions taken to strip Indigenous

People of their heritage, laws, language and other very important parts

of their culture.

Adopting words isn’t enough. I’ve heard that a lot in these

speeches, and I agree: reconciliation requires action. That’s why I was

very pleased this week to see the draft of the action plan for DRIPA.

This action plan was drafted in consultation with First Nations,

outlining key actions the province proposes to take over the next five

years to advance self-determination and inherent rights of

self-government, rights and title of Indigenous Peoples; ending

Indigenous-specific racism and discrimination; and promoting social,

cultural and economic well-being. After feedback from Indigenous Peoples

this summer, the plan will be finalized later this year.

We’ve taken a lot of action up to now already — for example, from

developing a farm-free migration corridor in the Broughton Archipelago

to deferring logging of old growth in Fairy Creek. In the words of the

Premier: “The success of this process shows that when the provincial

government and First Nations work together in the spirit of recognition

and respect, we can deliver results in the best interests of all who

live and work here.”

There’s so much more work to do. For example, Dr. Mary Ellen

Turpel-Lafond’s report In Plain Sight had 24 recommendations to

eliminate Indigenous-specific racism and make health care safer. We must

act on these recommendations. What about social, cultural and economic

well-being? Well, from the start of the pandemic, our government

prioritized rural and remote Indigenous communities for vaccinations and

increased funds to friendship centres, because we recognized that there

was a disproportionate effect of Indigenous Peoples being affected by

the pandemic.

I know that locally I was very proud, early on, to be able to

attend the Ruskin dam and the artwork that B.C. Hydro put out from

Brandon Gabriel, telling the story of the Kwantlen people and how dams

affected their whole lives and their livelihoods.

Of course, housing on and off-reserve. The Katzie and Kwantlen,

with whom I am very pleased and honoured to live and work, have housing

on and off-reserve, and there are actually 30 new homes going into the

Katzie Reserve. We just recently announced 61 new, affordable rental

homes coming to Mission. It’s very, very important work.

[12:00 p.m.]

National Indigenous History Month is a time to reflect on past

injustices to Indigenous Peoples in Canada. It’s also a reminder of the

work that needs to be done to continue true reconciliation in our

province. Now, that work has begun in earnest, but there’s so much more

work to do.

I look forward to being part of a government that is willing to do

the hard work, using UNDRIP as a guide, to heal the wounds of the past

and to work with our partners in First Nation communities to improve the

lives of Indigenous People.

B. D’Eith moved adjournment of debate.

Motion approved.

Hon. J. Osborne moved adjournment of the House.

Motion approved.

Mr. Speaker: This House stands adjourned until 1:30 p.m. this

afternoon.

The House adjourned at 12:01 p.m.

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