Fourth Session, 42nd Parliament

(2023) OFFICIAL REPORT

OF DEBATES

(HANSARD)

Wednesday, February 8, 2023

Afternoon Sitting

Issue No. 260

ISSN 1499-2175

The HTML transcript is provided for informational purposes only.

The PDF transcript remains the official digital version.

CONTENTS

Routine Business

Introductions by Members

Introduction and First Reading of Bills

Bill 3 — Miscellaneous Statutes Amendment Act, 2023

Hon. N. Sharma

Bill 4 — Finance Statutes Amendment Act, 2023

Hon. K. Conroy

Bill M201 — Provincial Sales Tax (Used Passenger Vehicles) Amendment Act, 2023

P. Milobar

Bill M202 — Wildlife Amendment Act, 2023

A. Olsen

Bill M203 — Corrections Statutes Amendment Act, 2023

A. Olsen

Bill M204 — Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Amendment Act, 2023

A. Olsen

Bill M205 — Equal Pay Reporting Act

R. Merrifield

Bill M206 — Land Title Amendment Act, 2023

K. Kirkpatrick

Statements (Standing Order 25B)

Vernon Winter Carnival

H. Sandhu

CNR Hope Station heritage site

J. Tegart

Earthquakes in Türkiye and Syria

A. Singh

Black History Month

T. Wat

Kurdish Canadian Society and food security initiatives

G. Begg

Women and girls in science

R. Merrifield

Oral Questions

Government action on issues in health care system

K. Falcon

Hon. A. Dix

S. Bond

Cowichan Hospital replacement project and Cowichan Tribes contractors

S. Furstenau

Hon. A. Dix

Drug decriminalization program and federal requirements

T. Stone

Hon. J. Whiteside

P. Milobar

Petitions

J. Rustad

Tabling Documents

Public Service Benefit Plan Act, annual report for year ending March 31, 2022

Reports from Committees

Selection Committee, report, February 2023

Hon. R. Kahlon

Finance and Government Services Committee, annual review,

budgets of statutory offices, December 2022

J. Routledge

T. Shypitka

Orders of the Day

Throne Speech Debate

(continued)

C. Oakes

M. Dykeman

T. Halford

J. Sims

A. Olsen

R. Glumac

B. Banman

S. Furstenau

S. Chant

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 8, 2023

The House met at 1:34 p.m.

[Mr. Speaker in the chair.]

[1:35 p.m.]

Routine Business

Prayers and reflections: S. Chandra Herbert.

Introductions by Members

I. Paton: Today I’d like to introduce a wonderful young lady I met the other

night at — can I say this? — a leader’s dinner with 1,000 people at it in

Chinatown. I said at the table: “If any of you are ever in Victoria, please

feel free to get hold of me. I’ll show you around and take you for lunch in

the dining room.”

Sure enough, the phone rang on Monday morning, and here she is. I’d

like to introduce a new friend of mine, Evelyn Lee, an international

entrepreneur, she calls herself, and a resident of Vancouver.

Please make Evelyn feel welcome here today.

M. Lee: I understand that we have Jon Coleman here in the gallery. I would

like to invite the chamber to join me in welcoming Jon.

Jon, as many of you know, comes from the Cowichan Tribes traditional

territory. He is someone who has, for decades, been involved in employing

Indigenous and non-Indigenous workers to work on important community

infrastructure projects. I understand from Jon that 20 years ago, he moved a

mountain — a small mountain. Two weeks to get that done.

He also has his mother, who went to residential school on Kuper

Island. As we heard from Eddy Charlie yesterday, we know the importance of

reconciliation. I know that from Jon. His strength comes from his

grandfather and his mother, who is quite silent in a strong manner about the

harms of residential schools and the trauma that it’s caused.

I hope that members of this chamber will continue to hear his voice as

he speaks out against this government’s CBA scheme that blocks workers from

working on a project on their territories.

Join me in welcoming Jon Coleman to this House.

Mr. Speaker: Member. Member.

Member, take your seat, please.

Let me caution all members. Please do not try to use introduction time

for making political statements. You will not be allowed next

time.

Hon. S. Malcolmson: I encourage the chamber to join me in welcoming my friend and

neighbour Ed Chan from Nanaimo, who has joined us here today to witness

question period. He’s a valued South End community member for Nanaimo and a

very strong civic volunteer.

Hon. A. Dix: This morning, members on all sides of the House — many members on the

government side, the Leader of the Opposition, the Leader of the Third Party

— were part of an event with the Resident Doctors of B.C.

I want to express to Dr. Harrison Anzinger and the whole team here how

impressed we were by their commitment to public health care, how all members

of the House joined together in our support for them.

As people will know, the Resident Doctors of B.C. have worked very

hard in the last year on a new agreement with government, one that was

approved at 98.5 percent, which reflects their commitment, ours and I think

all members of the House to their role in the future. This is an important

time for public health care, and our resident doctors make us

proud.

I ask everyone to make them welcome today.

J. Tegart: I’d like to introduce a longtime friend visiting the Legislature for

the first time, Sandy Perrin.

I’d ask you to make her feel very

welcome.

Hon. B. Bailey: One thing that everyone in all parties in the House will agree to is

that we have wonderful people who support our work. One such person from my

ministry is here today: Jocelyn Fan, a ministerial assistant.

Would the

House please join me in making her feel welcome.

[1:40 p.m.]

S. Bond: I rise to join the Minister of Health in welcoming the Resident

Doctors to the Legislature today. Though I was not able to be there, I think

it was fantastic that the Leader of the Opposition was there. He came back

energized.

One of the things we’ve learned in this House is that being a

physician is not for the faint of heart, but it is certainly for people who

have a big heart and want to help care for British Columbians. I want to

join with the minister in offering our thanks for the choice of the

profession that you’ve made. We can’t wait until you’re ready to help us

here in British Columbia in even bigger ways.

Welcome to the gallery today.

S. Furstenau: I’m just going to take the opportunity to also introduce my friend Jon

Coleman, who is here from Cowichan. Jon has spent 30 years mentoring

Aboriginal crews in construction and trades, but he’s done more than just

train skills. John brings cultural values. He brings knowledge, wisdom, an

essential understanding of the territory and the lands on which he and his

crews work.

I can say it’s only been a few weeks that I’ve known Jon, but I am

absolutely certain this is the beginning of a lifelong

friendship.

Would the House please make Jon most welcome.

K. Greene: I’d like to welcome my friend Tom Ligocki. He is a successful tech

entrepreneur. You may not know him, but he arrived in Canada at the ripe old

well for himself, Ernst Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award winner, and

he’s got more projects on the go.

Please make him welcome.

H. Yao: Today I would like to take a moment to wish happy birthday to my baby

girl, who’s actually watching TV right now. This is the first time I get to

start counting her age by years instead of months.

I do want to take a moment to share a little life experience that

despite the fact that she’s probably 10 percent of my body weight, she takes

up half our bed whenever she sleeps. Even though I get to enjoy the hotel

stay right now, I still miss having her kicking my face in the middle of the

night.

Please join me in wishing her a happy birthday.

A. Olsen: I’d like to introduce Helen Davis and Mark Worthing to the Legislative

Assembly today. Helen is a principal in Artemis Wildlife Consultants. Both

she and Mark brought the issue of the plight of bear dens to my attention,

and I just want to thank them for all the work they do on behalf of nature —

there they are, up there — and on behalf of the little bears that are now

sleeping, hopefully, in dens until the end of this winter.

HÍSW̱ḴE SIÁM . Thank

you.

A. Walker: It is always a pleasant surprise to see a constituent but especially

nice when it’s unexpected.

Would the House please welcome a friend and

active volunteer, Caelem Galloway, to this House.

Introduction and

First Reading of Bills

BILL 3 — MISCELLANEOUS STATUTES

AMENDMENT ACT,

Hon. N. Sharma presented a message from Her Honour the

Lieutenant-Governor: a bill intituled Miscellaneous Statutes Amendment Act,

Hon. N. Sharma: I move that the bill be introduced and read for a first time

now.

I’m pleased to introduce Bill 3, the Miscellaneous Statutes

Amendment Act, 2023. This bill amends the following statutes: the

Ecological Reserve Act, the Freedom of Information and Protection of

Privacy Act, the Hospital Act, the Insurance Corporation Act, the Local

Government Act, the Medicare Protection Act, the Park Act, the Protected

Areas of British Columbia Act, the Special Accounts Appropriation and

Control Act.

This bill also makes repeals, validation and confirmation

provisions as well as consequential and housekeeping amendments. I will

be pleased to elaborate on the nature of these amendments during the

second reading of this bill.

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

Motion approved.

Hon. N. Sharma: I move that the bill be placed on the orders of the day for second

reading at the next sitting of this House after today.

Bill 3, Miscellaneous Statutes Amendment Act, 2023, introduced, read

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

reading at the next sitting of the House after today.

[1:45 p.m.]

BILL 4 — FINANCE STATUTES

AMENDMENT ACT,

Hon. K. Conroy presented a message from Her Honour the

Lieutenant-Governor: a bill intituled Finance Statutes Amendment Act,

Hon. K. Conroy: I move that the bill be introduced and read a first time

now.

I am pleased to introduce the Finance Statutes Amendment Act,

2023. People in B.C. need to be protected from violators of securities

laws when buying and selling securities. These amendments will help the

B.C. Securities Commission to better respond to investment fraud in a

meaningful way, in a continually changing sector, to protect investors

in B.C.

The bill introduces two main objectives. The first is to approve

the B.C. Securities Commission’s ability to enforce securities laws and

collect fines. Right now the B.C. Securities Commission has the

strongest enforcement and collection capabilities in Canada, and in a

constantly involving sector, it’s important to continue to update the

Securities Act so it doesn’t fall behind. These amendments will build on

the BCSC’s existing strengths, through a range of tools, for the

organization to protect investors from fraud and other violations of

securities laws.

The second objective of this bill is to make sure B.C. securities

laws remain in step with other provinces’ regulations. Ensuring the act

is in line with other jurisdictions is one of the biggest concerns of

the securities industry. This harmonization will help to improve market

efficiency and create a better-functioning capital market.

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

Motion approved.

Hon. K. Conroy: I move that the bill be placed on the orders of the day for second

reading at the next sitting of the House after today.

Bill 4, Finance Statutes Amendment Act, 2023, introduced, read a

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

at the next sitting of the House after today.

BILL M201 — PROVINCIAL SALES

TAX (USED PASSENGER

VEHICLES)

AMENDMENT ACT, 2023

P. Milobar presented a bill intituled Provincial Sales Tax (Used

Passenger Vehicles) Amendment Act, 2023.

P. Milobar: I move that a bill intituled Provincial Sales Tax (Used Passenger

Vehicles) Amendment Act, of which notice has been given in my name on

the order paper, be introduced and now read for a first time.

As British Columbia faces a worsening cost-of-living crisis,

people are looking to their leaders for relief. Right now 44 percent of

British Columbians report being less than $200 away from insolvency at

the end of each month. Fifty-eight percent of people are saying it is

becoming less affordable to feed themselves and their family, and 54

percent say transportation has become much less affordable.

It’s clear that action is needed to help people cope with

skyrocketing costs. That is why I’m reintroducing the Provincial Sales

Tax (Used Passenger Vehicle) Amendment Act. This act would amend the

changes around taxing used vehicles made last spring and set the PST

rate of zero percent for used vehicles costing less than $20,000 that

have been previously purchased and driven at least 6,000 kilometres.

This measure would provide up to $2,400 of tax relief on used vehicle

purchases and would help many people who can’t afford an electric

vehicle and who are facing increased costs of living.

As everything from gas to groceries to housing gets more

expensive, we must take steps to finally provide real, tangible support

to the millions of British Columbians who are struggling to make ends

meet.

Mr. Speaker: The question is the first reading of the bill.

Motion approved.

P. Milobar: I move that the bill be placed on the orders of the day for second

reading at the next sitting after today.

Bill M201, Provincial Sales Tax (Used Passenger Vehicles) Amendment

Act, 2023, introduced, read a first time and ordered to be placed on orders

of the day for second reading at the next sitting of the House after

today.

BILL M202 — WILDLIFE

AMENDMENT ACT,

A. Olsen presented a bill intituled Wildlife Amendment Act,

A. Olsen: I move that a bill intituled Wildlife Amendment Act, of which

notice has been given in my name on the order paper, be introduced and

read a first time now.

For over 20 years, experts have been advocating for laws to

protect bear dens in British Columbia, but the province continues to

lack a comprehensive legal protection for bear dens. Despite legislative

protections in Haida Gwaii and the Great Bear Rainforest, much of the

province continues to lack these mechanisms to protect these essential

habitats. As a result, bear dens have been left to a patchwork of

policies by logging companies, which are inconsistent and

unenforceable.

Earlier this year the Environmental Law Centre at the University

of Victoria and the B.C. Sierra Club published a study recommending

provincial legislation that protects bear dens. The act before us today

makes these essential changes. It sets out that if a person disturbs,

molests, damages or destroys a bear den, they have committed an

offence.

[1:50 p.m.]

Further, this protection stands on both Crown land and private

land, which is an essential component, given the proliferation of

private-managed forest lands in pockets of British Columbia.

We are currently living through the sixth mass extinction caused

by human activity, and it’s more important than ever to protect the

biodiversity of our province. This includes protecting bear dens, where

bears hibernate and birth and raise their young.

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

Motion approved.

A. Olsen: I move that the bill be placed on the orders of the day for second

reading at the next sitting of the House after today.

Bill M202, Wildlife Amendment Act, 2023, introduced, read a first

time and ordered to be placed on orders of the day for second reading at the

next sitting of the House after today.

BILL M203 — CORRECTIONS STATUTES

AMENDMENT ACT,

A. Olsen presented a bill intituled Corrections Statutes Amendment

Act, 2023.

A. Olsen: I move that a bill intituled the Corrections Statutes Amendment

Act, 2023, of which notice has been given in my name on the order paper,

be introduced and read a first time now.

I reintroduce this bill in this House to continue to raise

attention to the human rights of British Columbians held in corrections

facilities. On any given day, like today, there are 33 individuals in

solitary confinement who have been there for longer than 15 days, some

longer than 60 days. Both adults and youth are subjected to this

reality.

Solitary confinement disproportionately impacts Indigenous people,

in particular Indigenous women and girls. Close to a quarter of people

in solitary confinement in this province identify as Indigenous, making

up only 6 percent of our province’s population. In February of last

year, the Union of B. C. Indian Chiefs called solitary confinement “a

re-traumatizing, abusive and colonial form of control over Indigenous

bodies.”

This bill seeks to prohibit the use of prolonged solitary

confinement and change standards of living for people in the justice

system. This bill prohibits a person from being held in solitary

confinement if they are pregnant, at risk of self-harm or suicide, have

a prescribed disability or require medical observation.

Finally, this bill requires the provincial director of

correctional centres to publish annual disaggregated statistics on the

number of individuals held in solitary confinement.

This bill follows advocacy from the Union of B.C. Indian Chiefs,

the B.C. Ombudsperson, the B.C. Representative for Children and Youth

and the decision from the B.C. Court of Appeal. I want to thank the

Campaign for the Abolition of Solitary Confinement for their continued

advocacy and work to keep this issue in discussion.

Thank you to the members of this chamber for their consideration

of this important work, and I hope to debate this bill at second

reading.

Mr. Speaker: The question is the first reading of the bill.

Motion approved.

A. Olsen: I move that the bill be placed on the orders of the day for second

reading at the next sitting of the House after today.

Bill M203, Corrections Statutes Amendment Act, 2023, introduced, read

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

reading at the next sitting of the House after today.

BILL M204 — FREEDOM OF INFORMATION

AND PROTECTION OF

PRIVACY

AMENDMENT ACT, 2023

A. Olsen presented a bill intituled Freedom of Information and

Protection of Privacy Amendment Act, 2023.

A. Olsen: I move that a bill intituled Freedom of Information and Protection

of Privacy Amendment Act, 2023, of which notice has been given in my

name on the order paper, be introduced and read a first time

now.

In 2021, the government amended the act to allow public bodies to

charge an application fee for making a freedom-of-information request. I

was a member of the special committee to review the Freedom of

Information and Protection of Privacy Act and heard from many

organizations and individuals who opposed the introduction of an

application fee.

The special committee recognized that access to information is

vital for promoting trust in public bodies. The committee heard that

secrecy of information can undermine democracy and lead to extremism and

that conspiracy theories and extremist ideologies can arise when

citizens do not have access to information held by the

government.

The act before us today aims to improve access to information. It

sets out to remove the application fee for freedom-of-information

requests. These amendments are in line with the sharp criticism from the

B.C. Information and Privacy Commissioner, Michael McEvoy, who strongly

indicated that the $10 fee to access information was not in the interest

of the public. He noted that political requests were already in decline

before this fee was introduced, and following the fee, journalists,

researchers and community groups felt the most significant barriers to

getting public information.

Right now there is a waning public confidence in democracy in a

time of growing fear and misinformation and a time when people are more

likely to believe in conspiracy theories and less likely to trust their

government. This assembly needs to be held to a higher standard. The

truth needs to be readily accessible and available.

[1:55 p.m.]

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

Motion approved.

A. Olsen: I move that the bill be placed on the orders of the day for second

reading at the next sitting of the House after today.

Bill M204, Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Amendment

Act, 2023, introduced, read a first time and ordered to be placed on orders

of the day for second reading at the next sitting of the House after

today.

BILL M205 — EQUAL PAY REPORTING ACT

R. Merrifield presented a bill intituled Equal Pay Reporting

Act.

R. Merrifield: I move that a bill entitled the Equal Pay Reporting Act, of which

notice has been given in my name on the order paper, be introduced and

read for the first time now.

As I speak on the importance of implementing equal pay

legislation, I rise in solidarity with all women in British Columbia who

are still waiting for the government to address B.C.’s pay gap, the

worst in the country. Women have and continue to play a critical role in

our economy, yet while they contribute to our province’s success despite

the many barriers in their way, recent reports show that women earn 16.6

percent less than their male counterparts. This is unacceptable, and

this bill aims to address this inequity.

According to the Canadian Women’s Foundation, it would take more

than 267 years to close the economic gender gap if present trends

continue. What’s disappointing is that despite the multiple calls for

action on the clearly unjust pay gap in B.C., under two different

Premiers nothing has changed. This is the sixth time this legislation

has been brought forward to this government — the sixth time.

The Equal Pay Reporting Act is merely a first step towards equity.

We are privileged with the power to prescribe transformational measures

and compel employers to do what’s right and what is best for British

Columbians. This bill would require any employer in B.C. with 50 or more

employees to publicly post an annual breakdown of wages in their

business. This information will include wage and bonus pay for male and

female employees and will be available on a company website or by any

other easily accessible means.

We have an opportunity to show that actions always speak louder

than words. B.C. women expect the Premier and his government to deliver

on equality as promised in the last election campaign.

For the sixth time and for all the women who deserve to be

properly compensated for their hard work, skills and talents, I hope

this House will support our call for the equal treatment of women in the

workforce.

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

Motion approved.

R. Merrifield: I move that the bill be placed on the orders of the day for second

reading at the next sitting of the House after today.

Bill M205, Equal Pay Reporting Act, introduced, read a first time and

ordered to be placed on orders of the day for second reading at the next

sitting of the House after today.

BILL M206 — LAND TITLE

AMENDMENT ACT,

K. Kirkpatrick presented a bill intituled Land Title Amendment Act,

K. Kirkpatrick: I move that a bill entitled Land Title Amendment Act, 2023, of

which notice has been given in my name on the order paper, be introduced

and read for a first time now.

Racial segregation should belong in a history book not in any

legal document in 2023. Unfortunately, despite being void and

unenforceable, racial covenants are still common on property titles

across British Columbia. This is why I am reintroducing this

bill.

Although I don’t like to read this aloud, it’s a common example of

such a covenant: “No person of the African or Asiatic race or of African

or Asiatic descent, except servants of the occupier of the premises and

residents, shall reside or be allowed to remain on the premises.” Such

language is exclusionary, demeaning and incredibly offensive.

This bill, the Land Title Amendment Act, 2023, would require

registrars to fully remove such discriminating covenants from land

titles. Just striking these unacceptable covenants out is not enough as

they are still visible and very hurtful to read.

We must use these tools we have to undo historical wrongs. No one

should continue to suffer from xenophobia. Hate has no place in our

society.

Mr. Speaker: Question is the first reading of the bill.

Motion approved.

K. Kirkpatrick: I move that the bill be placed on the orders of the day for second

reading at the next sitting of the House after today.

Bill M206, Land Title Amendment Act, 2023, introduced, read a first

time and ordered to be placed on orders of the day for second reading at the

next sitting of the House after today.

[2:00 p.m.]

Statements

(Standing Order 25B)

VERNON WINTER CARNIVAL

H. Sandhu: Recently on a Saturday morning, I had the privilege and honour to

participate in the 63rd annual Vernon Winter Carnival parade. It was

wonderful to see people so excited, happy, cheering and clapping with

enthusiasm while watching the floats, classic cars and musicians pass

by.

The flagship event kicks off one of my community’s oldest, most

beloved traditions. For the past 63 years, the people of Vernon-Monashee

have looked forward to the seasonal event where generations of families

and people of all ages come together in this wonderful community

celebration, which is the largest winter carnival in western

Canada.

The Vernon Winter Carnival Society is a non-profit organization

run by a volunteer board of directors. Each year, they host hundreds of

events over a ten-day period at the beginning of February, and every

year they have a new theme. This year, they are hosting 132 events with

the theme of “Carnival TV,” which will celebrate and honour TV shows

from the past and present.

Given the challenges we have faced over the past two years, coming

together as a community is more important than ever, and Vernon Winter

Carnival has been a beacon of light in these times of struggle and

uncertainty, allowing people of Vernon-Monashee to put aside differences

and come together in celebration.

Once again this year, I want to take the time to thank the

hard-working volunteers who have made this possible, for gracefully

navigating, adapting and continuing this tradition, despite many

challenges, over the last couple of years. Without their countless hours

of planning, dedication and tireless efforts, the Vernon Winter Carnival

would not have been possible.

I would like to ask members of this House to please join me to

thank these amazing volunteers and our community for demonstrating what

is possible when we work together for a common goal by putting our

differences aside.

CNR HOPE STATION HERITAGE SITE

J. Tegart: I’m so proud to represent the riding of Fraser-Nicola, which

features a rich history and a number of important and unique heritage

sites. One such site can be found in the community of Hope, and it needs

our support to be restored and reinvented.

The historic 1916 CNR Hope Station closed in 1984. It was

purchased by the community at that time and relocated, serving as an

arts and culture centre and a hub for musicians. It was facing

demolition in 2020, but a grassroots campaign emerged to save it and

made some important discoveries in the process.

It turned out the station had strong connections to the history of

Japanese-Canadian internment and to Indigenous peoples whose homes and

lands were displaced by the railways. In a bid to educate the public

about the past while offering a new vision for the future, the Tashme

historical society and the district of Hope are proposing a heritage,

tourism and education space for the site. It would feature a museum, a

visitors centre, a restaurant, co-working offices and event hosting

opportunities.

This is where you come in. Hope station is a finalist in the

National Trust’s Next Great Save, a national heritage competition that

will award $50,000 to the project with the most votes by February

I urge all of you to please visit nationaltrust.ca and cast your

vote so Hope Station can serve as an important educational and cultural

site in British Columbia’s interior for years to come.

EARTHQUAKES IN TÜRKIYE AND SYRIA

A. Singh: Our hearts and minds are with the people of Türkiye and Syria and

their families and friends in British Columbia.

On Monday, southern Türkiye and northern Syria were rocked by a

7.8 magnitude earthquake, followed by a second 7.5 magnitude earthquake.

The quakes have killed more than 12,000 people in Türkiye and northern

Syria, and the toll is expected to rise as rescuers search the

rubble.

[2:05 p.m.]

I can’t even imagine what is going through the hearts and minds of

loved ones. It’s estimated at this time that almost 300,000 people have

been displaced from their homes in northern Syria. This, added to the

years of war and foreign intervention, just further exacerbates a

disastrous humanitarian crisis.

Monday’s quake was Türkiye’s largest disaster since 1939. The

terrible loss and hardship the people of Türkiye and Syria are

experiencing is devastating. Our thoughts are with everyone impacted and

with those working to respond to the tragedy. Our newly created Ministry

of Emergency Management and Climate Readiness met with Public Safety

Canada on Monday morning and let them know that B.C. is standing by and

is able to assist if needed.

Newly created Minister Ma also met with the Turkish consul general

and conveyed our deepest sympathies and readiness to support. We

understand that they have received a request for humanitarian

international assistance from the Turkish government and are in close

contact with officials. We welcome Canada’s announcement of an initial

emergency humanitarian response of $10 million to support the people of

Türkiye and Syria.

On Monday evening, volunteers gathered at Mavi Jeans warehouse at

580 Industrial Avenue in East Vancouver, where more than 400 boxes and

12 pallets were prepared for the first of several planned Turkish

Airlines flights for an emergency mission. A Turkish café in Kitsilano,

Simit Bakery, is hoping to organize a local fundraiser for earthquake

recovery efforts.

I’m also heartened to see that today, members of the Burnaby

firefighters shipped out to help in the rescue efforts in Türkiye. The

Burnaby USAR team is composed of IAFF 323 members and others who help

those in need, no matter where in the world that takes them.

I encourage everyone to reach out to their friends in the Turkish

and Syrian diaspora and to help as much as they can. There are some

incredible organizations you can donate to and support: Mavi Jeans,

Simit Bakery, Doctors Without Borders, UNICEF, amongst

others.

BLACK HISTORY MONTH

T. Wat: The month of February is an important time of the year, as it

marks Black History Month in British Columbia. This annual commemoration

is a time for us to remember and celebrate the many significant

contributions and accomplishments of Black Canadians in our province.

It’s also an opportunity to self-educate and raise awareness of the

vital role that people of African descent have played in B.C.

Black Canadians have long faced various forms of racialized

injustice and have always displayed resilience and determination to

build a more inclusive and accepting society. I am reminded of Black

British Columbians such as Barbara Howard, from Vancouver, the first

Black woman to represent Canada in an international athletic competition

in 1938, or Emma Stark, who made $40 a month as the first Black school

teacher on Vancouver Island in 1874. Black History Month is a time to

celebrate the successes and triumphs of the Black community despite many

systemic barriers.

As the shadow minister for multiculturalism and on behalf of the

B.C. Liberal caucus, I invite everyone to take the time to learn more

about the history of Black Canadians in B.C., as we affirm our

commitment to building a province free of discrimination and

hate.

KURDISH CANADIAN SOCIETY

AND FOOD SECURITY

INITIATIVES

G. Begg: I’m pleased today to rise in this House to celebrate the good work

of a charitable organization centered in my riding of Surrey-Guildford.

Headed up by Izmit Simu and Jenny Ferguson, the Kurdish Canadian Society

opened its doors in April 2020 as a diverse and multicultural non-profit

organization with a mission to support those in need, with basic

necessities like education, training, food and other resources to help

improve the quality of lives in Canada.

Their emergency food box program provides those in need with

groceries like fruit, vegetables, breads and meat. Their volunteer team

picks up food that is being wasted or is near the end of its shelf life

in major retail grocery stores and redistributes it, to be consumed

immediately. This reduces waste and feeds the community with items that

are nutritious and essential to a balanced diet.

The KC Society is committed to supporting Lower Mainland community

members who every day are facing food insecurity.

[2:10 p.m.]

They understand the impact that lack of access to nutritious foods

can have on both physical and mental health and are dedicated to

providing support to those in need through this food program. They

continually work towards ensuring that everyone in our community has

access to foods they need so they can thrive. They’re focused entirely

on making a real difference in the lives of those around them, anchored

together in the belief that stronger and more resilient communities will

be built if we all work together.

To date, the KC Society has removed more than 6,600 kg of food

from being in landfills and given out roughly 11,000 meals to people in

the community in the past year. Food security is a growing issue with

inflation, and they’re seeing a huge and growing demand. They serve over

100 families every week and over 500 people weekly on the streets and in

the shelters.

I know all members of the House will join me in celebrating the

dedicated efforts that the Kurdish Canadian Society expends every day

for others.

WOMEN AND GIRLS IN SCIENCE

R. Merrifield: I love science. I loved it as a young girl, and I still love it

today. But when I was in university, there was a lot of societal

pressure, which urged me to pursue a different path.

As a mother, it was my honour and privilege to encourage my own

daughter to pursue her love of science. She would say to me, growing up:

“Science and math just make sense, Ma. I like that there is a right or

wrong answer. It’s like black and white.” Today her love of science has

taken her all the way into her graduate studies.

February 11 is the International Day of Women and Girls in

Science. It’s a day to celebrate the achievements of women and girls in

sciences around the world but especially here in B.C. Science and

technology play a crucial role in shaping our world and improving our

lives. However, for far too long women and girls have been

underrepresented in these fields. According to a recent report, only 30

percent of researchers worldwide are women. Celebrating the achievements

of women and girls in science encourages many young girls to pursue

careers in these fields.

In B.C., we are fortunate to have a rich history of accomplished

women in STEM — for example, Dr. Sandra Louise Schmid, the first chief

scientific officer of the Chan Zuckerberg Biohub, or Dr. Gail Murphy, a

computer scientist at the University of British Columbia who has

developed innovative software that has had a significant impact on the

field of software engineering.

International Day of Women and Girls in Science is a crucial

reminder of the importance of diversity and equality in STEM. By

providing them with access to quality education, promoting female role

models in STEM and removing barriers that prevent women from pursuing

careers in these fields, we can help to ensure that they have the

opportunities they need to succeed.

I urge all members of this assembly to work towards creating a

future where women and girls have equal opportunities to participate and

succeed in these fields so that we will have even more accomplished

women and girls of B.C. to celebrate in the future.

Oral Questions

GOVERNMENT ACTION ON ISSUES

IN HEALTH CARE

SYSTEM

K. Falcon: Time and time again with this government, we see that they are

good at making announcements and issuing press releases but terrible

when it comes to getting results. Never is this more evident than in

health care.

One out of five British Columbians cannot access a family doctor.

Cancer care wait times amongst the worst in the country. One million

British Columbians are on a wait-list trying to see a specialist.

Hundreds of thousands are waiting to get basic medical

imaging.

The latest report that just came out shows that wait times at

walk-in clinics have more than doubled in the last three years, the

worst in the country. Just this morning in the member for North

Vancouver–Lonsdale’s riding, there was a five-hour wait at the

Northshore Medical Clinic. At the other clinic at Lonsdale and 19th, it

had hit capacity ten minutes after opening.

[2:15 p.m.]

My question is this. At a time where we’re seeing the worst wait

times in the country, when will this Premier and minister and government

understand that government is about more than making announcements and

issuing press releases? It’s about doing the hard work of rolling up

your sleeves and getting improved results for British

Columbians.

Hon. A. Dix: That’s exactly what we’re doing.

Interjections.

Mr. Speaker: The minister will continue.

Hon. A. Dix: The Leader of the Opposition is contributing as much to health

care as he did when he was the Minister of Health.

Interjections.

Mr. Speaker: Shhh, Members. Members.

The minister will continue.

Hon. A. Dix: With respect to primary care, last summer the Leader of the

Opposition opposed this.

We’ve put in place new new-to-practice contracts for longitudinal

family practice, for family care, for family doctors in the community,

for new doctors. Typically we’d get 20 to 30 such contracts. So far we

have 109 in communities across B.C.

We sat down with doctors in B.C. and worked out a new payment

model, the most significant reform to primary care in the history of the

public health care system. It’s been around….

Interjections.

Hon. A. Dix: The Leader of the Opposition may not have joined, but in the one

week it’s been in place, 1,726 family doctors in B.C. have

joined.

We are adding 128 new spaces to the UBC medical school. We’re

establishing a new SFU medical school. We are making changes to make

lives and access to primary care there for British Columbians. We’ve

added 30 urgent and primary care centres, and yes, hon. Speaker, they’ve

served 1.6 million B.C. patients.

That’s action. That’s the action that’s needed now, and it

compares favourably to a Leader of the Opposition who announced a plan

for primary care networks, 159 of them, and delivered exactly

zero.

Mr. Speaker: Leader of the Official….

Interjections.

Mr. Speaker: Shhh, Members.

Interjection.

Mr. Speaker: No, no. Hold it.

Interjections.

Mr. Speaker: Members.

The Leader of the Official Opposition has the floor.

K. Falcon: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I can’t wait to share with the member headlines like “B.C. No. 1

in Health Care” when we were in government. I am certainly happy to

share that with the member opposite.

The minister likes to stand up and spout off statistics. Only this

group over here actually thinks anything is getting better in the health

care system. Nobody else in the province thinks it’s actually getting

better.

The fact of the matter is that one out of five British Columbians

can’t get access to a doctor. So those patients that have no attachment

to a doctor are required — forced, indeed — to go to a walk-in clinic.

The problem is that when they go to a walk-in clinic, they now face,

based on this minister, a second term in government…. They’ve been there

six years. It’s not like he just woke up and six months ago they’re

trying to make…. This is year 6 of their government.

When people try to go to those walk-in clinics, they’re facing the

longest wait times in the country. In North Vancouver, the worst in the

entire country. In Victoria, the urgent primary care centre, which he

likes to go on about, was at capacity this morning 45 minutes after it

opened. Good luck finding an urgent primary care centre or a walk-in

clinic in some places. They don’t exist.

I just heard from Blaine in Quesnel, who I met with earlier this

summer. Blaine has had three strokes. He has no family doctor, and he

desperately needs to get paperwork signed by a doctor because he’s

trying to apply for his long-term benefits, which he’s entitled to. So

what does he do? He goes to the local walk-in clinic in Quesnel. There’s

a sign on the door saying it’s permanently closed. Then when he phones

that minister’s urgent primary care centre that he likes to go on about,

the receptionist says there won’t be a doctor here for another six

days.

[2:20 p.m.]

Drastic change is needed. The fact of the matter is this Premier

has really made it clear that he is going with the status quo not just

with this minister that’s failed for six years but with the other 64

vice-presidents earning $400,000 a year in the health care field. Now we

find out another high-priced consultant, Penny Ballem, working in the

Premier’s office.

I have a simple question to the minister on behalf of Blaine, who

asked me to ask you: despite all the high-priced vice-presidents — 64 of

them; they’ve got seven in Alberta — and all of the executives and the

high-priced consultants in the Premier’s office, why can’t Blaine find a

doctor to fill out some basic paperwork so he can get his long-term

benefits?

Mr. Speaker: Members, before I recognize the Minister of Health, I want to

remind all members not to use any props while you’re asking questions or

answering a question.

Minister of Health.

Interjections.

Mr. Speaker: Member.

The minister will continue.

Hon. A. Dix: You know, Hon. Speaker, I think some people believe — some people

— that you keep repeating the same thing that’s not true over and over

again….

Interjections.

Mr. Speaker: Shhh, shhh. Members. Okay, Members. Members.

The minister will continue.

Hon. A. Dix: Hon. Speaker, they keep repeating the 64 vice-presidents over

$400,000. It’s false. It was false when they first said it. It was false

last year. It’s still false. The fact is…. Hon. Speaker, it’s not like

they don’t have access to the information. They have the information.

Here are the facts — if they’re interested in the facts, I suppose. We

had, when I became Minister of Health, 64 vice-presidents. We have 64

vice-presidents now. We have added, it’s true, six vice-presidents for

Indigenous health, an action that was supported by the official

opposition. Those are the facts.

What are the facts? That the increase in salary for

vice-presidents in the health authorities is less than collective

agreements. Those are the facts. People can keep repeating stuff all

they like. A number of members of the opposition have repeated this

fact. It’s just not true, and I think that….

Interjections.

Mr. Speaker: Shhh, shhh.

Hon. A. Dix: I know that they don’t want to hear the answer. The answer is that

the way that you change primary care is to fundamentally work with

doctors and nurse practitioners and nurses to change the system. That’s

precisely what we’re doing.

We can listen to the Leader of the Opposition, or we can listen to

the 1,726 doctors who have signed up for the new payment model. We can

listen to the Leader of the Opposition, or we can listen to the 98.5

percent of resident doctors who supported the agreement that we

negotiated with them to improve primary care for all British

Columbians.

Our health care professionals and our health care workers, often

treated with utter contempt — in particular, by the Leader of the

Opposition over the years they were in office, with utter contempt by

them — deserve our thanks and appreciation for their extraordinary work

during these three years of pandemic. They deserve better than this.

They deserve our support, our commitment, our investment in change, and

that is what they are getting.

S. Bond: Well, the minister knows that not one person on this side of the

House has treated health care professionals with disrespect. We have

stood up day after day and supported them and thanked them. The person

that we are concerned about is this minister and his lack of action for

six years.

That answer is exactly why British Columbians have had it, because

Blaine deserves better than that.

Interjections.

Mr. Speaker: Members, come to order, please.

S. Bond: Blaine is simply asking for this minister to find a way to get his

paperwork done.

[2:25 p.m.]

It’s not just Blaine, and the minister knows it. And it’s not just

wait times in walk-in clinics. Today as we speak…

Interjections.

Mr. Speaker: Members.

Please continue.

S. Bond: Today, as we speak, there are literally hundreds of thousands of

British Columbians that are waiting without timely access to absolutely

essential diagnostic imaging. Yesterday, in fact, I heard from someone,

a woman who is absolutely in agony waiting for imaging. Maybe the

minister would like to speak to her.

Think about it. She’s been in constant pain for seven months, even

though the benchmark, the maximum, is 60 days for the procedure. Now

she’s been told that the Jim Pattison outpatient and surgical centre in

Surrey will not book or perform CT scans for any patients that is

considered level 3 or 4.

To be perfectly clear to the minister, this isn’t about the staff

there or anywhere in the system. They are doing their utmost to meet the

needs of British Columbians. Is the minister aware of that situation at

Jim Pattison, and if he is, what is he going to do about it?

Hon. A. Dix: On the issue of diagnostic care, here’s what we’ve done. In

British Columbia, in 2017, I became Minister of Health. There was one

MRI machine operating 24-7; there are now nine. There were four

operating 19 hours a day, seven days a week before I became Minister of

Health; there are now 19.

In 2017, we completed 174,000 MRIs. Those are people in B.C. Those

aren’t numbers. The worst record in the country. We have reduced the

90th percentile wait time, which is a major measure, by more than 100

days since they were in government. We’ve gone from 174,000 MRIs to

300,000, in a pandemic, in four years.

We did it by training people, by providing better service and

using our public health resources more, and, yes, in Surrey in

particular, adding three MRI machines. We’ve also increased CT scans by

220,000 people — every one of them an individual, every one of them

needing that care, every one of them referred by a doctor.

On individual issues — the member will know this — I will always

talk to people, always engage with people, always take cases from

members of the opposition and from everywhere else to address issues of

individuals.

But the record is clear. The worst place in B.C. to get an MRI

before I became Minister of Health was in the Northern Health Authority,

22 per 1,000 against an average in Ontario of 66. That was the record

after 16 years in government. We have more than doubled that in five

years. We did it because it is critical for people to get diagnostic

care when they need it.

I’m happy to look into the case brought forward by the hon.

member, but the record is clear. While the Leader of the Opposition,

when he was Minister of Health, left MRI machines idle, we are using

them all the time to deliver better care.

Mr. Speaker: The Member for Prince George–​Vale­mount,

supplemental.

S. Bond: Well, I can assure you that answer is exactly why British

Columbians are frustrated. The minister ignores the fact that there are

hundreds of thousands of British Columbians in pain waiting for

services. In fact, the woman that I spoke to yesterday…. Here’s what she

said about this Minister’s record: “We’ve got to the point where we

can’t get sick.”

Again, to the minister, when is he going to stop dismissing the

pain and agony that thousands of British Columbians are

experiencing?

The minister can roll his eyes, but I can tell you this: every

single MLA in this Legislature hears from British Columbians virtually

every day about the waits and the pain, and the frustration. When is he

going to acknowledge it and fix the problem?

Hon. A. Dix: When you’re talking about diagnostic care, you fix the problem by

adding diagnostic care to ensure….

Interjection.

Hon. A. Dix: The Leader of the Opposition is living in some sort of world. I

don’t know what world it is.

Interjections.

Mr. Speaker: Members.

[2:30 p.m.]

Hon. A. Dix: I wonder if he’s been to Surrey recently. I know he used to

represent it. But in Surrey….

Interjection.

Hon. A. Dix: Yeah, he sold the land in Surrey. He sold the land. They needed a

hospital. He sold the land, and now he pretends to care for

them.

The way that you advance diagnostic care is to do more diagnostic

care. The facts are the facts. You can look at the Canadian Institute

for Health Information. His record, terrible. Our record, one of the

best in Canada. Clearly, they’re in on some sort of conspiracy over

there at CIHI.

Hon. Speaker, 174,000 of 300,000 in four years is an extraordinary

achievement not by me but by technicians, by radiologists, by people in

the system. It’s their success. The reduction in wait times is their

success, and we have to continue do more. But that is an exceptional

change.

Adding machines so that people don’t have to go and get private

care with their own money and then come back into public health care,

creating two-tier care. That’s the Leader of the Opposition’s response.

But delivering care in the public health care system full on, all the

time — that’s what we do in diagnostic care.

I am happy to look at any case brought forward by

anybody.

COWICHAN HOSPITAL

REPLACEMENT PROJECT

AND COWICHAN

TRIBES CONTRACTORS

S. Furstenau: Two days ago we heard in the throne speech: “People who work hard

and play by the rules need someone on their side. Your government will

be there for you.”

My question is to the Premier. Can the Premier explain why

Cowichan Tribes contractors who work hard and play by the rules do not

have the government on their side and cannot benefit from helping to

construct the $1.45 billion Cowichan District Hospital replacement

project?

Hon. A. Dix: I thank the member for her question. The Cowichan Hospital project

is a critical project for health care on Vancouver Island. I’m very

proud of the project. We’re adding 52 new acute care beds.

Interjection.

Hon. A. Dix: You know, hon. Speaker, leaders set examples, and that leader

keeps setting an example. But I’m going to answer the

question.

A hospital project that ought to have been built probably 15 years

ago is being built in Cowichan now. It’s going to significantly improve

acute care services, significantly improve mental health services, allow

us to address surgery needs in a community that is now underserved for

acute care because of its growing size and the community. That’s what

we’ve done on the project.

It’s clearly important to the member. We’ve had meetings that she

organized, that I’ve been at, in her community on this project. I

understand it’s important to her. It’s important to the member for

Nanaimo–North Cowichan as well and for all of their

constituents.

On the question that she’s raised, we’ve had ongoing conversations

with the Cowichan Tribes, and we’ve worked to bring all parties together

to involve, to share information and talk through challenges. That’s how

you solve issues. As a result, the Khowutzun Development Corp. is now

eligible for work on the Cowichan Hospital site without a change to

their workforce.

Mr. Speaker: Leader of the Third Party, supplemental.

S. Furstenau: It’s fascinating to me. We have Jon Coleman in the gallery right

now of Jon-co Contracting, who has not been allowed to work on this

site. A member of Cowichan Tribes, a man who has, for 30 years, mentored

Indigenous people in the trades and who, in October, had the job at the

site of clearing the land and then was told he would not be given any

further permits to work at the site and that he and Khowutzun

Development Corp. are not part of the specified unions identified in the

somewhat ironically named community benefits agreement.

[2:35 p.m.]

What’s interesting is that this change appears to have happened on

November 8, when B.C. Infrastructure Benefits and Allied Infrastructure

and Related Construction Council,

the two organizations who are empowered by this government to

oversee the community benefits agreement…. They signed a letter of

understanding removing the ability of Khowutzun Development Corp., Jon

Coleman and local contractors to be able to work at the site, a change

that left Jon and his colleagues out of work.

Let’s quote directly from the community benefits agreement: “To

ensure that individuals, communities and businesses in the local area

have full and fair opportunity to participate in the benefits of the

project.” That is certainly not the case for Jon Coleman. This is a long

way from reconciliation.

Mr. Speaker: Question, Member.

S. Furstenau: This government seems to have underestimated the power that they

gave to BCIB and AIRCC who, in essence, are excluding Indigenous peoples

and local contractors from a project that has been community-led and

community-driven for decades. This is a project this community has

moved.

Mr. Speaker: Question, Member.

S. Furstenau: My question is to the Premier. When can Jon Coleman and the other

companies in Cowichan expect to be able to work on the hospital that is

being built on Cowichan Tribes territory?

Hon. A. Dix: I answered the question. They’re now eligible, and they’ll now be

working on the project. I think that what I would say about this

important project is…. I agree this is a project that people in Cowichan

have fought hard for and believe in. Our MLA does. I know the MLA does.

The community does. The site has been developed with local communities

and local First Nations. We’ve worked together to bring everybody

together to succeed in that.

The result of that is that all of the community benefits

agreements that the member referred to in the way that she did…. All of

them are living within 100 kilometres of the site; 25 percent are

Indigenous. The average on such a site would normally be 6

percent.

Those are real successes out of a process that was designed to

promote local hire and community involvement. As I said in answer to the

first question, because I think it’s what you wanted to know…. The

question was when. The answer is now; they’re now eligible.

DRUG DECRIMINALIZATION PROGRAM

AND FEDERAL

REQUIREMENTS

T. Stone: Well, first, listening to the previous interaction there, I want

to start off by saying how refreshing it is to hear that the Greens have

finally come around and no longer support these community rip-off

agreements, after supporting them for all those years, propping up the

NDP government.

But my question today relates to the NDP’s decriminalization

policy. The overwhelming focus of this government on the

decriminalization of hard drugs like crystal meth, fentanyl, heroin and

cocaine, with limited access to treatment and recovery…. This is doomed

to fail badly.

Almost a year ago there were very specific requirements outlined

in the letter of requirements from the federal government to this NDP

government with respect to decriminalization. Since then this government

has not done the work, but they’ve pressed forward with

decriminalization. No definable metrics, no plan for public safety,

complete failure to provide services in rural communities and a very

limited access to the treatment that people need when they need it in

order to get better.

The Government House Leader prevented the minister from answering

this question yesterday, so I’m going to ask it again today. Why is the

government allowing decriminalization without ensuring that people can

access the treatment that they need in order to get better, and can the

minister explain what are the specific baseline metrics and measurements

for evaluating the success or the failure of this NDP

experiment?

Hon. J. Whiteside: Thank you to the member for the question. I think that in the face

of a poisoned drug supply crisis that is killing more than six British

Columbians a day, we are compelled to use every single tool in our

toolbox to save lives.

[2:40 p.m.]

Decriminalization is one of those tools, amongst a number of

others — a whole continuum of tools that we are using, including massive

investments in treatment, in counselling, in recovery opportunities, in

safe supply for British Columbians.

We spend over $2.6 billion in this province on mental health and

substance use. We have added to that a $500 million investment in 2021

to ramp up treatment beds. We’ve added hundreds of treatment beds. We’ve

doubled child and youth treatment beds. So there is no question that we

understand we have to do all of the things in this space to protect and

support British Columbians.

With respect to the conditions that Health Canada set down in

regard to our application for decriminalization, Health Canada clearly

approved our application. The federal government, all of our

stakeholders and partners — law enforcement, public health, front-line

physicians who provide care for people who use drugs, people with lived

experience who have been through what it means to lose family and loved

ones to toxic drug poisoning — stood with us as we moved forward to

initiate this pilot project, to use one tool in our toolbox to try and

protect British Columbians.

We are taking action to expand treatment, to engage with our

stakeholders, to scale up Indigenous-led solutions, to conduct public

education and outreach, to reduce the stigma and fear associated with

drug use so that we can try to ensure that British Columbians can

connect to the care and support that they need, and we will continue to

do that work.

P. Milobar: Not a day goes by that the members on this side of the House

aren’t confronted by constituents and family members desperately trying

to seek help for their kids and their loved ones and their family, help

that just doesn’t exist.

Unfortunately, this NDP government insists on burying its head in

the sand when it comes to decriminalization of crystal meth, opioids and

cocaine. This government wouldn’t even acknowledge it in their throne

speech, in fact. This government won’t acknowledge that it hasn’t even

met the very specific criteria in the federal exemption letter allowing

this experiment to happen, a letter this government agreed

to.

One year ago they were supposed to be ensuring that individuals

who desire treatment or other supports can access them when needed. It

hasn’t happened. One year ago they agreed to be putting in place a

substance use system of care and meeting the unique needs of specific

regions and communities, such as those in rural and remote communities.

That hasn’t happened. One year ago they agreed that they needed to be

educating the public as part of a comprehensive public education plan

and engaging with communities. That hasn’t happened.

These are directly out of the letters of requirement from the

federal government, and one year ago…. It says right here: “Data

collection will need to start immediately upon the granting of the

exemption to establish a baseline.” A year ago. This government has had

a year that they were supposed to be collecting data for the baseline.

That hasn’t happened.

We couldn’t even get an answer out of the ministry yesterday

because the House Leader decided to stand up and avoid the

question.

Again, why hasn’t the minister met the very specific criteria set

out in the federal exemption letter? When will the minister release the

baseline data that was supposed to be being collected over this last

year?

Hon. J. Whiteside: I have to say that I think that British Columbians looked at the

process that we were all collectively engaged in last year through the

Health Standing Committee and the support for all of the recommendations

in that report by all parties, including decriminalization. I think

folks can take some hope that we’re all collectively working together to

support British Columbians through what is an absolutely unrelenting

public health crisis.

Interjections.

Mr. Speaker: Shhh. Members, please.

[2:45 p.m.]

Hon. J. Whiteside: As we work to do that work and to make the investments — which

include new outpatient withdrawal management services in multiple

locations in the Interior; new treatment and stabilization beds in

Kamloops, Kelowna, Lillooet and Prince George; adding 105 treatment

beds; expanding detox beds in the north Island; all of that work — we

are very grateful to have the collaboration and cooperation from our

partners in health authorities, from front-line providers.

Again, we will continue to do the work, to take action, to ramp up

services and make the investments that are necessary.

[End of question period.]

Petitions

J. Rustad: It’s my honour to present a petition signed by 10,845 British

Columbians with regards to the Health Professions and Occupations Act. The

undersigned allege that “Bill 36, passed by the Legislature, fundamentally

alters the relationship between the Ministry of Health and health

professionals in British Columbia.”

They further allege that Bill 36 will alter the relationship between

licensees and….

Mr. Speaker: Member, you don’t have to read the whole thing. Just present the

petition, please.

J. Rustad: I understand that, Mr. Speaker. I’m just about finished.

They also allege that the appropriate bill “to reform the changes in

this relationship must involve health professional licensees, their

respective colleges and the government in a democratic and meaningfully

collaborative way.” Therefore, they request that the Legislative Assembly

take steps to repeal this act.

Tabling Documents

Hon. K. Conroy: I have the honour to present the Public Service Benefit Plan Act

annual report for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2022.

Reports from Committees

SELECTION COMMITTEE

Hon. R. Kahlon: I have the honour to present the first report of the Special

Committee of Selection for the fourth session of the 42nd

Parliament.

I move that the report be taken as read and received for the first

time.

Motion approved.

Hon. R. Kahlon: I ask leave of the House to make a motion to adopt the

report.

Leave granted.

Hon. R. Kahlon: I move that the report be adopted.

Motion approved.

FINANCE AND GOVERNMENT

SERVICES

COMMITTEE

J. Routledge: I have the honour to present the third report of the Select

Standing Committee on Finance and Government Services for the third

session of the 42nd Parliament titled Annual Review of the Budgets

of Statutory Offices , a copy of which has been deposited with

the Office of the Clerk.

I move that the report be taken as read and received.

Motion approved.

J. Routledge: I ask leave of the House to move a motion to adopt the

report.

Leave granted.

J. Routledge: I move that the report be adopted, and in doing so, I would like

to make some brief remarks.

This report summarizes the committee’s recommendations for the

budgets of the B.C.’s. nine statutory offices for fiscal years 2023-24,

2024-25 and 2025-26.

Last fall the committee members met with each of the statutory

officers to examine their budget proposals. In undertaking this review,

the committee found that requests for increased funding generally arose

from salary increases to align with the recent B.C. General Employees

Union settlement, additional staffing related to expanded legislative

mandates and new programs and initiatives as well as inflationary

pressures.

When considering the office’s budget proposals, committee members

reflected on the economic challenges and uncertainty facing the

province. While the committee continues to support necessary resourcing

to ensure officers can fulfil their core mandates, members felt the

sustained year-over-year increases in some offices meant that other

proposed initiatives could be paused.

Committee members appreciated the efforts made by the offices to

find efficiencies in their budget proposals and expect that the offices

will continue to demonstrate how they are achieving savings, while

continuing to deliver core services.

The committee is grateful to the statutory officers for their

continued commitment to serving all British Columbians, and we look

forward to meeting with them again in the spring.

[2:50 p.m.]

I also want to acknowledge the staff in the Parliamentary

Committees Office who supported the committee. Thank you to Jennifer

Arril, Natalie Beaton, Katey Stickle, Mary Heeg, Mary Newell and

Jianding Bai.

I appreciate the thoughtful and collaborative work of all

committee members and particularly recognize the Deputy Chair, the

Member for Kootenay East, for his support.

T. Shypitka: It’s my privilege to add some additional comments to the Chair’s

remarks.

While the annual review of the budgets of statutory offices may

seem like a small cog in the big machine, the work done by this

committee to review budget proposals from each of the nine statutory

offices and to be available to receive financial and operational

updates, as well as ongoing supplementary funding requests, is critical

to how British Columbia functions. Everything from the monitoring of

government programs to ensuring compliance with provincial laws makes up

these nine offices.

These offices are highly valued, and the people that work in these

offices should be recognized as such. As one would expect, these offices

are not immune to the realities we see with other public and private

entities. Issues surrounding labour recruitment and retention, higher

costs, supply chain issues and technological advancements, just to name

a few, are all to be seriously considered when processing these

budgets.

The considerations and recommendations made to these budgets,

service plans and annual reports for the nine offices went from hundreds

of thousands of dollars to tens of millions, so each office was

completely unique with its own mandates, challenges and operations. I am

proud of the work and the time that was spent with this committee and

staff to hold each of these nine offices accountable — and their

deliberations and requests.

I would like to thank the Chair, from Burnaby North, for ushering

me in as a new Deputy Chair. She made it painless and smooth. I would

also like to extend thanks to all my other colleagues on the committee,

from Kelowna West, Kelowna-Mission, Vernon-Monashee, Surrey-Cloverdale,

Richmond South Centre, Langley East and Vancouver–False

Creek.

Lastly, of course, as the Chair pointed out, the incredible staff

needs acknowledgment. We all know, as committee members, that the staff

that work on these committees are actually the engines that make it

work.

To Natalie, Katey, Jianding and the two Marys, thank you very

much.

Mr. Speaker: Members, the question is the report to be adopted.

Motion approved.

Orders of the Day

Hon. R. Kahlon: I call continued debate in response to the throne speech.

[S. Chandra Herbert in the chair.]

Throne Speech Debate

(continued)

C. Oakes: It truly is an honour to rise as the MLA for Cariboo North and to

provide my response to the throne speech.

“Food prices are going up. It’s hard to find a doctor. We continue to

see mental health and addiction challenges…. Housing costs continue to

rise…. People in British Columbia are working harder than ever, but many

feel they’re just getting by and not getting ahead. People who work hard and

play by the rules need someone on their side.” Words in this throne speech,

I know, constituents in my riding are certainly agreeing with. Where it is

questionable is the tagline that this is a government that will “have your

back” and will “be there for you.”

This is a government that regularly picks winners and losers. They

like to talk about equity, but this is the height of hypocrisy at its best,

and at the losing end of support from this government are the hard-working

people living beyond Hope, British Columbia — a government quick to pick the

pockets of people, all while stating they have your back; an agenda of tax

and spend, just not providing services if you don’t live in the right area

code; policies being put in place that puts rural and northern communities

at a significant disadvantage.

[2:55 p.m.]

Having the highest fuel costs in North America disproportionately

impacts ridings like mine in a negative way. It is not like, in our

communities, we have the same access to transit as, maybe, some of the other

communities. We have significant weather challenges. Yes, we do experience

minus 40, so heating fuel is not an option….

Deputy Speaker: Sorry, Member. I just was conferring with the Clerk. I believe,

earlier, the member might have imputed that the government was doing

something illegal. I think the words were “pick the pockets.” So if she

might rephrase, because I don’t think that would be within the standing

orders.

C. Oakes: The government continues to tax, regularly, MLAs, and I would say the

constituents in Cariboo North feel they’ve got a little less money in their

pockets.

Deputy Speaker: Thank you, Member.

C. Oakes: I would certainly have to say that.

As I would say, we have recently experienced minus 40, and for people

trying to heat their homes, I’ve certainly heard from many people in my

constituency that heating fuel is not an option, but it is a necessity. I

know that people in my riding have just recently received their most recent

heating bills, and between the layering of taxes and the delivery fees, this

is an extraordinarily challenging time for constituents in my riding. They

do want a government that has their back, and they do want a government that

understands the unique challenges that many British Columbians are

facing.

I’ve especially heard from seniors right now that are struggling. We

have, from this NDP government in this throne speech, a government that

takes victory laps over and over again, a government talking about the same

priorities for the sixth year in a row, but the results just keep getting

worse. A government’s approach of the cumulative layering of 20 new and/or

increased taxes…. Again, folks in the Cariboo don’t feel like they’re

getting more money in their pockets.

Legislation creates an uncertain business climate that is consistently

driving investment elsewhere. Government decisions are resulting in an

exodus of highly skilled workers to Alberta and other jurisdictions. Health

care workers certainly, under this government, do not feel that this is a

government that has their back.

When people are struggling the most, when the exhaus­tion and

the frustration is at its pinnacle, the NDP government resorts to repeating

victory laps, press releases and statements, even today in this Legislature,

on what a great job they’re doing and how everything is great when it comes

to health care. I can tell you this is putting a mental strain on the very

people this government should be there for.

The NDP is doubling the total provincial debt per person by 2024 to

more than $16,500 for every man, woman and child — a legacy our children and

our grandchildren will inherit, a legacy that’s not okay.

The riding of Cariboo North is larger than Vancouver Island, and I’m

proud to be the fourth generation raised in this spectacular part of the

province. Our riding is proud of our entrepreneurial spirit, its rich

natural resource sectors that provide good, paying, family-supporting jobs.

The people of my riding are resilient. They take care of their neighbours

and their community. They pay their taxes. They do not ask for a lot from

government, but they do hope. They hope that if a loved one gets sick,

they’ll be able to access health care.

This throne speech had no plan to address the crisis in our health

care system. Just today, I heard from one of my constituents, named Blaine.

Blaine is a young guy who owns a business in our community. He has had,

recently, three strokes, and he’s had an impossible time finding a family

doctor, like so many British Columbians across this province.

[3:00 p.m.]

He told me that he went to the walk-in clinic, and there was a sign on

the door stating that it’s permanently closed. Then he called the urgent and

primary care on Monday and was told that there won’t be a doctor there until

Saturday. How does this explain the response that we repeatedly hear from

this government — that everything is great, that there is access for

everyone in health care? We’ve got these great centres that are open across

British Columbia, just not in our communities. The people of the Cariboo are

frustrated. They’re angry.

Another constituent, Tim, contacted my office recently. Tim was

diagnosed with cancer and started receiving treatments in May of 2022. His

oncologist went on holidays in December and will not be back until March of

2023. This has left him without an oncologist at a very difficult time.

They’ve sent in their paperwork to the Provincial Health Authority, and now

Tim has to travel to Kelowna from Quesnel to see an oncologist. Is that good

enough?

The Minister of Health talked today about how great this government is

doing around diagnostic imaging and how everything is working great. Record

opportunities for meeting the health care needs of British Columbia as well.

I learned some pretty tragic news over the holidays, three separate

incidences of people in my community who have been trying to access health

care. They don’t have a family doctor and now have received absolutely

terrible, life-altering news that they have late-stage cancer, and now it’s

terminal. This is simply not good enough.

This throne speech did nothing to address the crisis that our

communities are facing. Why does the North not have a PET scan for cancer

diagnosis? Why is Northern Health the only health authority without a

cardiac unit? Why is it that people of the North have to travel down to the

Lower Mainland at their own expense to make sure that they access health

care? With all the revenues that come out of the North, why do we not have

access to the same kind of services that other health authorities

have?

Government is quick to tax and take money from people living in the

Cariboo, money from the natural resource sector, all while they keep

changing the goalposts for these sectors, creating uncertainty, eroding any

competitive advantage that we may have once had. Look, I would remind

members of the House that these are good-paying, family-supporting jobs, and

we are seeing an erosion in rural British Columbia of these foundational

sectors that have helped build this province.

Where is the equity from this NDP government for people living north

of Hope? Where is the support for the families and individuals trying to

access treatment and recovery support for their loved ones that may suffer

from mental health or addiction diseases? How can a government continue to

brag about how much progress they’re making when there’s such a limited

level of support for people living in rural and northern British

Columbia?

Look, I’ve had to sit with the families, and many have multiple

mortgages on their houses, as they desperately try and seek treatment for

people that they love. It shouldn’t happen in a province like British

Columbia. Wait-lists, months, if you can even get access to treatment. It’s

not good enough. No one can look around and say that the current approach

taken by this government is working.

I want to contrast this for a moment and say that on this side of the

House, we feel that better is possible. I’m proud that our party has put

forward a plan to overhaul the delivery of mental health services and to

build a recovery-oriented system of care for those suffering from addiction.

We would eliminate user fees. We would build regional recovery communities.

That includes in the North. The status quo is not working, and doing more of

the same is not going to drive better results for anyone.

[3:05 p.m.]

One of the other things this side of the House has put forward…. I

think it’s important, as the opposition, that we hold the government to

account, but we also put forward really thoughtful, compassionate ideas,

ideas we know can make a real difference in the lives of British Columbians.

We endorsed the plan proposed by Dr. Julian Somers and Simon Fraser

University in July 2021 providing an effective roadmap to address street

homelessness, with a focus on evidence-based services, partnerships with

Indigenous organizations and a highly effective model of person-centered

services. That’s leadership. Those are steps that we’ve put forward to this

government.

We also believe, on this side of the House, that it’s critically

important to look at awareness and prevention. Creating and delivering

youth-focused public education campaigns about addiction and recovery;

establishing workplace campaigns to assist employers in recognizing

substance use disorders; and better supporting employees in recovery are the

right things to do. We believe in creating programs to support families

struggling with addiction recovery system navigation and having general

questions and supports for impacted family members. We feel that this is

leadership.

We also understand very clearly that there need to be established

detailed data systems to track provincewide performance measures and targets

with clear benchmarks, the number of publicly funded mental health and

addiction treatment beds available to British Columbia. This will measure

performance outcomes and ensure standardization of care. This is leadership,

something that this throne speech is desperately lacking.

This throne speech mentioned very little about the natural resource

sector. It did say that the mining sector is booming in British Columbia.

Well, again, in the riding of Cariboo North, there is so much opportunity

when it comes to mining. What the throne speech does not outline is how

terrible this government is at actually getting permits out the

door.

I recently talked to Ross, a placer miner, who’s waited 18 months to

get his permit through. How, as a small business owner, are you supposed to

be able to support yourself and pay the taxes and do all the things that are

necessary if it actually takes you 18 months to get a permit?

I would remind the members of this House that we have limited ability

to actually work, because of our weather. There are critical points in the

Cariboo where work absolutely needs to be completed. When you’re seeing

permits that get moved long into the summer, when critical work needs to

happen, that has an impact on small business owners in our

community.

There are some large mine projects that we feel are huge opportunities

not just for people living in our region, our Indigenous First Nations

communities, but in fact, for all of British Columbia. Quite frankly, we

need these jobs. The Cariboo is one of the most forest-dependent regions in

North America. Under the NDP government, since 2019, I think we’ve

experienced 29 definite/indefinite curtailments of mills.

First, this government said, in the 2017 election…. I remember that

day when the Premier stood up and said: “First order of business is I will

go down to Washington, and I will deliver the softwood lumber deal for

British Columbians. I can make that happen. Under an NDP government, we

wouldn’t see mills close, because we’ve got people’s backs. We’ve got

workers’ backs.” Well, look. Every single time there’s a curtailment or

challenges in our rural communities, the government comes forward with this

press release: “We’ve got your back. We’ll be there for you.”

Where’s the support for the logging contractors, logging contractors

like Blaine, who was mentioned earlier today in question period? Business

owners can have pieces of equipment that range from $600,000 to $1

million-plus. They cannot afford to operate under this legislative and

economic model that consistently creates uncertainty, where the goalposts

consistently change and when they have a government that treats them as

their own personal — I’ll probably get in trouble here — piggy bank, as they

find new ways to tax, taxes such as the employer health tax.

This budget did mention the importance of the movement of goods and

services across the province. We certainly feel the impacts when there are

significant climate events that challenge the transportation network in

British Columbia.

[3:10 p.m.]

I would like to take a moment to invite all members of this House,

specifically the Minister of Transportation, to come and travel to the

Cariboo. Over the past few years…. One year we saw 150 roads impacted, the

next, 200 different roads that had been significantly impacted. Where is the

investment that is critical to making sure that the transportation network

remains viable?

I’d like to invite members of this Legislature to come and drive with

me across the potholes that exist on the Quesnel River Bridge and rail

overpass. The damage that is currently on that bridge is no longer a matter

of just damage to vehicles. I’m raising in this Legislature today that it’s

a public safety concern. And I fear that there will be an accident on that

bridge one day because of the significant damage and the collapsing nature

of the pavement on that bridge that’s going to cost somebody their

life.

This government came in a few years ago and said, “Look, we’re going

to have shovels in the ground,” yet we continue to wait. Another press

release by this government with no results.

Another important bridge, which I want to raise in this House, is the

Johnston Bridge. This is the backup bridge to the Quesnel River Bridge, if

something ever happens.

Again, I know that the government thinks that this is a piece of

infrastructure that’s just for Quesnel and its residents. I would remind

this House that the Quesnel River Bridge is a critical piece of the movement

of goods and services to the North. If something happens with that bridge

and that bridge goes down or is impacted or is closed, it stops the movement

of goods and services to the North.

UNBC did a study, I think it was last year, that talked about…. Any

closure of Highway 97 up to the North means we’ve got about four days’ worth

of food in our grocery stores. So it is a significant concern that we should

all be paying attention to.

What is the backup if something happens with the Quesnel River Bridge

and the overpass? Well, the backup is the Johnston Bridge, which, for

residents living in the community of Quesnel and the province…. The

responsibility for that bridge…. Yes, it’s a municipal bridge, but I would

say it is time now…. With such a critical piece of infrastructure that

connects the North, the movement of goods and services, it’s time that this

government comes to the table and provides the support for the improvements

that are necessary on the Johnston Bridge.

The restrictions that are currently on the Johnston Bridge mean

industrial traffic has to go on Maple Drive. That means you can have up to

80 industrial vehicles going to a plywood plant and that go by a middle

school, a daycare, an elementary school. You’ve got kids that are walking on

very narrow sidewalks with industrial traffic.

Again, I’m raising in this Legislature that I’m really concerned that

we could have a serious accident. This government needs to come to the table

and work with our local government.

This throne speech, I will say, talked about the importance of working

with local government. I came from local government, as many members of this

Legislature did. I have profound respect for the work that is being done by

local governments and regional districts right across this

province.

Support for resource-based communities that are being hit is

significantly important right now. When a mill closes in a community like

mine or a community…. I could go through lists of where we’ve seen

significant challenges, where local government is significantly challenged

by trying to replace that tax base. It has very real consequences on people.

So I encourage the government to reach out and work with local governments

on that.

[3:15 p.m.]

The throne speech did mention that they have a plan for high-speed

Internet to every community across the province. I think this is critically

important. I would remind members of this House that the Auditor General

released a report that highlighted that 60 percent of rural remote

communities do not have basic connectivity. That puts us, in rural and

northern communities, at a significant disadvantage. I really hope that what

was put in this throne speech becomes a reality, that the NDP actually

delivers real results and outcomes on this front, not just more press

releases.

I want to spend a few minutes talking about training. Of course, I am

extraordinarily proud to serve as the shadow minister for Post-Secondary

Education. We all know how critically important it is to the economic,

social health of the province of British Columbia that we make sure we get

that right. I want to raise the huge opportunity — I see my shadow minister

of Agriculture is here — that the vet school at UNBC is a critical piece….

While it didn’t make it into the throne speech, it is certainly my hope that

it will find its way into the budget, because we certainly know how

critically important that program is for all of British Columbia.

Another critical piece of investment, some training we’ve seen cut…. I

hope this government finds a path forward. It is really discouraging that in

the Minister of Post-Secondary Education’s own backyard, we’re seeing the

sign language interpretive program being cut. I think that does not speak

focused on inclusion when the Minister of Post-Secondary Education, in her

own riding…. The program that was the only program in western Canada is now

being cut. I think that’s not good enough, and I think the minister needs to

step up and provide some leadership on that.

Some of the other opportunities…. Each year MLAs in the North have the

opportunity to meet with all of our school board trustees. I think that’s a

really important piece because we get together, and it’s those opportunities

where partisanship is parked at the door and we just talk about how we can

really make a difference around education in our communities.

One of the things that consistently comes out year after year is the

challenge that northern communities…. Not just in education and health care

but, in fact, all sectors, the challenge is around recruitment and retention

in our communities. It is a significant challenge.

I believe and I know for sure that when we can invest in training in

our communities, that is a critical piece in helping us retain professionals

in rural and northern communities. So it is my hope that while, certainly,

we didn’t see much in the throne speech, I am hopeful that in the budget we

will see an opportunity to provide real training in communities right across

the province but specifically in those communities that are struggling with

recruitment and retention, because it’s hard. It’s hard to attract critical,

needed professionals in our communities.

I guess perhaps, just maybe in closing, I want to say that I am truly

grateful for having such extraordinary staff and support both in my

constituency office back home and here in the legislative precinct. Boy, we

are all blessed to have some extraordinary people. Sometimes we forget, as

the politics rage here, how important these people are, and I just want to

sincerely say thank you for all of the help and the assistance that you

provide.

I know that constituents are extraordinarily well served coming into

my constituency office. We lead from our heart. Many days there are a lot of

tears that are shared. It’s a difficult job working in our constituency

offices, and I certainly acknowledge and know that, and I just want to say

thank you to my team and my staff.

I also want to thank all of the people, the stakeholders, that have

consistently stepped up and provided so much support, especially the

students. Please know how much your thoughtful, enthusiastic support and

ideas mean.

Often in this place, it’s pretty negative. You know, that’s the nature

of this business sometimes. I am an optimist, so having the opportunity to

meet with students who have lots of great ideas…. I just again want to say

thank you for that.

[3:20 p.m.]

Finally, I’ve got some incredible mentors. To the Indigenous Elders

that are always there to provide support, I really do appreciate

that.

In closing, to our knowledge-keepers and our Elders right across our

communities in the province, thank you. This province is a fantastic place

to live, and we are very blessed. I’m reminded and grateful every single day

that there are some extraordinary people that work hard every

day.

In closing, please don’t forget about rural and northern B.C. I know

that we’re a long way from Victoria, and sometimes it certainly feels like

that. I know my constituents feel forgotten, and they’re frustrated. They’re

worried, like all British Columbians. It just sometimes seems just a little

bit harder to access services of government in our communities, so I will

continue to be an advocate for our rural communities.

With that, I close my remarks.

M. Dykeman: It is a true privilege to rise in the House today to have the

opportunity to speak in support of the Speech from the Throne. It really is

such an honour to serve as the MLA for Langley East. I’m so fortunate every

day to be able to represent such a fantastic community, a community that

resides on the traditional territories of the Kwantlen, Katzie, Matsqui and

Semiahmoo First Nations, a diverse community.

The riding I represent starts at 0 Avenue. It’s a little narrower at

that point. It goes from 216th to 248th and then goes up to 72nd and then

goes wide, from Surrey to Abbotsford to the Fraser River. So it covers a

very geographically large space, and it’s a mix of very fast-growing urban

area and rural, lots of farms, and we hear from a wide range of constituents

in our office. It’s a community that is, I believe, one of the very

fastest-growing in British Columbia and certainly one of the fastest-growing

in the Fraser Valley.

We actually received some numbers recently. Our community, the

township of Langley, has seen a very rapid growth in immigrant populations.

Between 2001 and 2021, the population has actually doubled, an increase of

124 percent for the township. Our community is truly growing and changing

and becoming so diverse and, obviously, is enriched from those

changes.

We have a very dedicated volunteer population, people who have lived

in our community, who have farmed for multi generations. One of the oldest

farms there has been there for, I believe, over 100 years. As I think about

the throne speech in that context, I really think about Langley being one of

those communities that’s seeing change and hearing from people about the

priorities set out in it.

Before I go on about that part, though, I just very quickly, so I

don’t forget, want to thank the folks who make me look good every day and

allow me to do my job. I’d like to take an opportunity to thank my two

constituency assistants, Candy and Carly. Truly, without them, I probably

wouldn’t even make it here every Sunday. They ensure that I have everything

I need. They remind me of the things that I need to do.

Themselves, they’re very involved in our community. Candy is the newly

elected chair of the Langley board of education and volunteers and gives her

time. Carly has been in our community for so long, an amazing volunteer, an

amazing person who works hard every day to improve the township of Langley.

I’m very, very blessed to have them in my life, working every day in the

office.

[3:25 p.m.]

I also want to take a very quick shout-out to two of my interns,

Emilio and Justin, who have been working in our office over the last year

and have come in and taken on so many tasks. I don’t, by any stretch of the

imagination, consider myself old, but I feel like technology is going faster

than my ability to take up the knowledge. Things like TikTok and stuff like

that. I mean, I know how to scroll through the videos, but I don’t

understand anything about it.

They’re bringing a perspective and information to our office from a

youth perspective, which is so important. These are people who are in

university, who are future leaders, and they’re in there sharing what

they’re hearing. I learn far more from them each day than I’m sure I provide

to them. I’m very fortunate to have such a dedicated group of people around

me.

I also would like to thank the people in this building. We are so

fortunate to have such amazing people that work here every day, from our LAs

— Andrew, another person who spends a lot of time following me around and

making sure I have whatever I forgot about; and Patrick in our office,

another person who keeps us organized every day.

I’d also like to say thank you to the MAs in the Ministry of Social

Development and Poverty Reduction. I’m very honoured to recently have been

appointed as Parliamentary Secretary for Community Development and

Non-Profits, following very big shoes to fill with our new Attorney General,

Minister Sharma, who we’re so very, very lucky to have in that role. I’d

like to say thank you to Hasham and Samuel for being so patient as I

transition into that role and making sure that I have everything that I

need. We are so fortunate….

Deputy Speaker: Of course, Member, we don’t mention members’ names. Thank

you.

M. Dykeman: True. Yes. Sorry about that.

Quickly, I would like to thank my family. We spend a lot of time going

away, being on the road, serving in different events, attending different

volunteer functions. Really, at the end of the day, they are the people who

are holding things together at home.

I’d like to just thank my father and my two children, A.J. and Mac,

and my very dear friend Cassandra, who make sure the farm is okay. She’s

definitely family, been with us for so many years. I’d like to thank them

for allowing me to do this work because really we’re a family. We have to

support each other. Without their support, this wouldn’t be possible. So I

just wanted to thank them for all that they do.

Back to our role here. I very quickly want to say also, in addition to

the wonderful people that work here, one of the things that I think we don’t

recognize enough about how amazing this government is, is we are a majority

female caucus with a majority female cabinet. That’s something that we need

to continue to celebrate in this building and to be able….

I stand on the shoulders of the people who came before me, the women

who really plowed the field to make it so that women could be elected and be

in this House. Now here we are really making monumental change and coming

together and have major things to celebrate. I just wanted to remind

everybody of that again, because it is it is such a historic

thing.

As I was saying earlier, my riding is really diverse. What I hear from

people who are constituents of my riding is exactly what is reflected in

this throne speech: stable, secure, stronger and more sustainable British

Columbia.

People want to know that they have help with costs — things are

expensive right now; that we are making changes to deal with the housing

crisis, something that is on the forefront of people’s minds; that we have a

plan for health care; that we are focused on our communities being safer.

Those are the things that I hear every day from our constituents.

I’m thrilled to be able to speak in support of a speech that takes

those priorities and puts them at the forefront. When I think about those, I

was thinking about some of the investments that have been made recently in

Langley East, the riding I represent. When we talk about building a stronger

future and making investments in our future, I don’t think that there’s

anything more poignant than our $10-a-day child care spaces.

[3:30 p.m.]

We just, at the end of January, were so thrilled in our community to

hear that Donna Gabriel Robins YMCA Child Care and Kids Club in Langley is

becoming a $10-a-day child care site. That means that nearly 100 more

families in Langley are benefiting from those $10-a-day child care spaces,

which allow parents to be able to pursue more career choices and educational

opportunities. It gives children a space in their school.

These fees being reduced provide more money in the pockets for

families to be able to lower their costs and make life more affordable every

day. That’s something that really makes a measurable difference in the lives

of young families.

In my riding, as I mentioned, with people moving, we are seeing a lot

of young families. We’re seeing a lot of growth in an area…. We’re feeling

those pressures with schools and all the investments that need to be made.

That’s a good-news story. We should be celebrating the fact that we have

families moving to British Columbia.

We have people raising children. We live in a beautiful province.

People want to move here. They want to be able to come to our community and

live. I was so fortunate to be able to raise my two children in Langley, and

I can understand why people would want to move there.

Another example of that is helping people by tackling the housing

crisis, by building houses that are affordable for families. We had two

recent announcements. One was Jennie Gaglardi Place, which provided 98 new

homes in the township of Langley. Our province provided $10.7 million to

this project through the Building B.C. fund, the community housing fund.

This was a partnership with the Christian Life Assembly Housing Society. It

provided the land, and the township of Langley also contributed. Those 98

units provide valuable affordable housing in our community for a wide range

of individuals, including families and seniors.

We also had another affordable home for seniors that was also a

partnership that was built in Langley, which provided an 82-unit townhouse

in an apartment complex for seniors and families. That provided safe, secure

and affordable rental home construction for families.

[J. Tegart in the chair.]

That was a partnership between the province, Catalyst Community

Developments Society and the Shepherd of the Valley Lutheran Church, which

has the Langley Housing Society. I had the opportunity to tour that recently

and hear from some of the people that were in there. They talked about what

a difference it made for them.

It really was a wonderful thing to see and hear about how these

investments made a difference in the lives of people in our community, and

they were so happy. The family housing has many young children in it. It’s

close to schools and in a wonderful community. It’s an investment that

really…. Right there, you can see that those differences are being made for

people in our community, and it’s something that I know our community is

very grateful for.

Our province…. The investments we’re making have made a difference.

We’ve seen an over 10 percent increase in rental housing. It’s not something

that you’re going to see immediately, but we are seeing the benefits of

those investments and will continue to.

I’m grateful that the Speech from the Throne talks about making these

stable, secure investments. We can’t control forces, but what we can do is

create programs and supports that help address them and make the lives of

people in British Columbia better by those actions.

Another one that I saw in the speech was making our communities safer,

actions that help address challenges that our communities are facing. I had

the opportunity to go on a ride-along the other day with Const. Peter Mann

in our community. We have an incredible relationship, in the township of

Langley, with the RCMP.

[3:35 p.m.]

When I was on school board, I really admired the relationships the

RCMP formed with their youth outreach teams, which are still in place. Julie

Bion, who heads it up, is so committed to creating positive relationships

with youth. She said something which really resonated with me when I was

chair. She said that if our first interaction with youth is positive and we

can build relationships, then youth see the ability to go to people in our

community offices and our community as a way of getting out of trouble,

instead of a way to get into trouble, and have cultivated that. They have

volleyball games and do really wonderful things to build relationships with

youth.

We have a school in Langley called Vanguard, and it’s a school that

really deals with some very challenging situations. The RCMP always come and

walk the students on stage. If you go to that grad, there is no way that you

will leave without crying. It is one of the most emotional and wonderful

schools I’ve ever been in. The relationship with the RCMP is very

special.

On this ride-along with Constable Mann, we were talking about

challenges faced within the community. Those challenges that were coming up

were the ones we hear every day. We hear about mental health. We hear about

the need to have those supports. As I was reading through the Speech from

the Throne and thinking about some of the investments our government’s made,

that is what’s important to keep at the forefront. Those investments in

mental health are what are so vastly needed and what we’re working on.

Police, and then the mental health, offer supports.

We’re dealing with complex situations in which the investments that

are being made get to the core. They help reduce stigma. They help address

the challenges that we’re facing. Seeing a commitment to that — a commitment

to addressing mental health, coupled with the changes that are needed to

make our communities safer — is something that once again offers us stable,

secure and a stronger and more sustainable British Columbia. We’re headed

onto that path because of those investments, working with investments where

they’re needed. Those take time. As we’re seeing those come to fruition,

we’re seeing that it’s making the lives of British Columbians much

better.

Of course, with the heat dome and the atmospheric river, fighting

climate change and building an economy for everyone through a sustainable

green approach is so important. We saw last year how challenging that was.

We have made several investments recently as a government. In Langley East,

for instance, there is the Anderson Creek floodplain mapping and Salmon

River bank stabilization.

That investment, the community emergency preparedness fund, was a

total of $23.4 million and supports communities to better prepare for,

mitigate and respond to climate-related emergencies like floods and extreme

temperatures. That helps get ahead of the challenges that come from climate

change and are important investments. The Anderson Creek floodplain mapping

and Salmon River bank stabilization received funding for $890,000. It helps

plan. It helps land use planning, risk assessments and risk

mapping.

Those are investments which are so important to ensure that we have

things in place that are sort of forward planning, so that we don’t deal

with another emergency and that we’re able to better secure the areas and

address the needs as our climate changes. That’s another investment that I

was thinking about as I was listening to those five priorities that were

laid out in the throne speech and are so important.

I wanted to also, as we were talking about climate change and housing

investments, take a moment to recognize, as I was saying earlier, that there

was a recent election. We have a new mayor and council. We have Mayor Eric

Woodward and several new councillors on there who are working very hard to

ensure that we have housing for our fast-growing community. We’ve had

wonderful conversations. The Housing Minister and myself recently visited

and were talking about the growth in our area.

[3:40 p.m.]

I want to take a second to acknowledge how hard the mayor and council

are working to plan and be proactive in ensuring that people have access to

housing and other resources. I wanted to congratulate everybody that has

joined the council that’s new, and those that were re-elected, to say thank

you to the mayor and council for the excellent relationship that that we

have and that we’re looking forward to working with him, through my office,

as our community grows.

As I mentioned, we’ve had some wonderful investments in Langley East,

and I am thrilled to be speaking in support of the Speech from the Throne

and really excited to see how these actions and these commitments roll out

over the next little bit.

I really want to say that it’s a stark contrast to before I was

elected. Like I said, I was a school board chair. When I think back, about

the fire sale of school properties and, basically, starving the health care

system and the dumpster fire that ICBC was, I have to say that this Speech

from the Throne talking about a stable, secure, stronger and more

sustainable British Columbia is something that I truly am honoured to stand

up and speak about.

We can’t control those global forces, as the speech said, but we can

respond in a measured and strategic way. We can put people first. We can

make priorities that are forward-thinking. We can take this year’s surplus

and put it to work for people in British Columbia. That will be done, as the

speech said, by reducing costs for families; by growing our health care

workforce; by building more homes for people; by giving record support to

cities and regions, rural and urban, as they grow quickly; by fighting

climate change.

As I’ve seen from the investments that have been made in our

community, those choices are paying off. Those choices are making our

community more sustainable, making the costs for people in our community go

down, providing more opportunities for people to see their cost of living

reduced. I agree; we shouldn’t be pulling back.

We should be investing and ensuring that people have the services that

they need; that they have opportunities, like I said, for $10-a-day daycare;

that we are looking at the future and making sure that we’re putting the

investments into climate change mitigation; that we have houses that are

being built for people, seniors, young families; that we’re welcoming new

people to our community; and that we provide services and housing options

for the people that we’re welcoming as our population is growing.

I agree with one sentence in there that talks about it: “In a chaotic

world, B.C. is doing things differently.” I really believe that this Speech

from the Throne demonstrates that, that this is a multifaceted approach that

is looking at the wide range of challenges that are being seen around the

world, but that we are taking those challenges and we’re coming up with

measurable, sustainable and wise investments for the people of British

Columbia.

I know that I’m seeing that in Langley East, and I know that the

constituents that I talk to in my community are seeing that and are thankful

for the investments that are coming into our community. I’m looking forward

to continuing the good work that we’re doing, grateful that we have this

opportunity to invest back in to our community to make sure the lives of

people in British Columbia continue to be improved, as they have been, and

grateful that we have such an exciting Speech from the Throne.

I want to thank you, Hon. Speaker, for the opportunity to stand up and

speak to it. With that, I will take my seat.

Deputy Speaker: Recognizing the member for Surrey–White Rock.

T. Halford: Thank you, Madam Speaker, and welcome to the chair.

I welcome those on

House duty and some of those new to House duty.

Anyway, I find it a privilege and an honour to get up and speak any

time in this House, whether it’s on a bill, on the Speech from the Throne or

on question period. I spent a lot of time in this building prior to being

elected, and every time I come in here, I pinch myself, because it is such a

privilege to work in here, and it’s such an added privilege to represent a

community, which we all do.

[3:45 p.m.]

There are 87 of us collectively. It’s not lost on me, the

responsibility that that bears. When somebody comes into your office,

whether they supported you or they didn’t, the responsibility that you have

to do your level best to make sure that their life is better when they leave

that office.

With that, I do want to thank the people that work in my office, Effie

and Jacob. I’m sure they’re watching captively right now. Two individuals

that have…. Jacob is new to the office. He just came over from the South

Surrey and White Rock Chamber. But Effie has been with me since day one, and

without Effie I would not be able to function the way I do. So I want to

give a very special shout-out to her. She really is the rock in our office,

and I probably don’t say that enough.

I also want to take this opportunity to just briefly touch on my

family. Like for many members here, they’re what allows me to do this job

every single day — most notably my wife, Holly. My wife probably gives back

more to the community than I do because she actually employs a number of

people in the community that I represent. She’s a child care provider. She’s

actually working hard to set up a child care right now. She’s putting in

12-, 14-, 16-hour days, she’s employing dozens of people, and she’s making a

difference every single day.

I see the work that she puts in, the pride that she puts in, the lives

that she and her staff change, every single day, and it makes me proud. The

fact is that when I come over here and I travel, she’s doing all this work

on her own. She has got support, but it falls on her to get the kids to

school, to get the kids to sports, to get the kids into their tutoring or to

dance, all while she’s trying to carve out a path on her own.

I think that’s something that is sometimes overlooked. In my case,

it’s something that she reminds me of every single day. I’m grateful for

that because it’s so important.

To my kids, Ben, Nicolas and Sasha…. Again, there are a lot of

parents, grandparents, guardians and providers in this House that make those

sacrifices every single day. Last week was our first week before we came in.

I was in Vancouver for a series of meetings, and I wasn’t home at night. On

Friday, I picked up Sasha, and she said, “Dad, you didn’t do my homework

with me, and I got five out of 12 on spelling.” So we made a deal right

there that that would not happen again.

You know, what I do…. We carve out time every single night to make

sure that at seven o’clock, dad is doing spelling. The beauty

part is that

she can’t actually see me googling the words to make sure I’ve got them

correctly before we go through and give her a test. But I am very confident

that Sasha will get 12 out of 12 coming up on Friday. If she doesn’t, it

will be my fault. That’s okay, as it should be.

Coming from the riding that I do — I’m sure everybody says their

riding is special and unique, and it is; every riding is special and unique

— being able to represent two municipalities in White Rock and in Surrey, I

think, is very special.

I know there are many of us that represent numerous municipalities,

but it’s an area that I grew up in, and it’s an area that my entire family

grew up in, all 45 of us. My mom still operates a small business in that

area, just down the street from my constit office and the curling club. Like

I said, my wife owns and operates a child care. My dad owns and operates a

small business in the riding.

I can see, firsthand, the struggles that people are in right now.

Whether it’s affordability, health care or mental health, I think people are

finding it incredibly challenging to be in such a beautiful province but to

face such difficult times.

[3:50 p.m.]

I’ll speak on affordability for a second, because I think that that’s

such an important aspect of what we do. I think when people come

in….

[Interruption.]

As I was saying, when it comes to affordability, I think that’s

something that every single member is hearing about when it comes into their

office. I think about the challenges that I’ve heard from parents when

they’re coming into the office and saying: “I can’t afford my child’s tutor

this semester for math. Can you help?” “I can’t afford the counselling

sessions that I’m going through with my spouse right now, and it’s really

important that we get these sessions because that’s what’s holding our

family together. Can you help?” “I can’t afford my rent, and I’m on a fixed

income. I’m a senior. Can you help?”

We have an obligation to help. I think, being in opposition, that we

have to highlight areas that we think are being underserviced by this

government. There is a host of those areas that my colleagues have

canvassed, and I will continue to canvass. That’s our job to do.

I think one of the troubling parts is…. I hear this every single time

that I go somewhere for an event or an announcement: “I voted NDP, but

they’ve let me down.” I hear that not just in my riding, but I hear that

across the Lower Mainland where it says: “I voted NDP because I thought I

was going to get a renters rebate, and I didn’t.”

Maybe the Minister of Labour has heard these tales at Laura’s Coffee,

where I’ve seen him once or twice. Or maybe not. But I’m hearing them, and

I’m hearing them across the spectrum. I heard them when I door-knocked with

my colleague in Surrey South when she won that by-election. She probably

sits here today. We heard the concerns that they felt let down. Promises

were made, and they were not kept.

I’ll give an example. I think one of the things that I’m so proud of

is that in White Rock and South Surrey and the riding that I represent, we

have the Peace Arch Hospital Foundation. I’m sure a number of you guys are

very familiar with your individual hospital foundations and the work they

do. The Peace Arch Hospital Foundation does incredible work. I was able to

do a tour of Peace Arch Hospital. My kids were born at Peace Arch. It’s a

hospital I’m very familiar with.

We did a tour, and the doctor that was leading the tour said, “I need

you to see this,” and he opened up a room. It was a beautiful room. It was

quite large, maybe not as…. Actually, probably very similar to the size of

the room that we’re standing in right now. It had rooms. It had beds. It had

a waiting area. It was the mental health facility that was built in Peace

Arch Hospital. It was a facility that has been planned for, I think, close

to seven years, but that facility was largely funded by donors.

[3:55 p.m.]

The Surrey firefighters did fundraising for that facility. The White

Rock firefighters did fundraising for that facility. The White Rock RCMP did

fundraising for that facility. I can’t tell you the level of disappointment

when they wanted to see what their work had become and that it’s completely

empty. It’s locked. Not one single person has been seen in that facility,

and it’s been open for…. Well, it hasn’t been open, but it has been ready

for a number of months now, going back to the early fall.

Here we have a brand-new mental health and substance abuse facility

sitting in Peace Arch Hospital, and it’s locked shut because you can’t get

staff. What happens is if you’re having a mental health crisis, you go

through emergency.

What we heard from a number of people — I’ve heard this, I know my

colleague from Surrey South has heard this as well, and I’m sure that other

members have heard it — is when you’re having a severe mental health issue,

to then have to go through emergency, sometimes with a member of law

enforcement, and how that compounds the anxiety that one goes through and

the challenges that that brings on…. And a mere 40 feet away, 40 feet from

that emergency department, is a facility that, as I said, is probably not

much smaller than this room that is locked shut, fundraised by individuals

in my community. I find that unacceptable.

When we talk about mental health…. I know mental health was mentioned

in the throne speech, but what wasn’t mentioned is the lack of outcomes when

it comes to not knowing how many beds are vacant, what the wait-lists are,

how many people are trying to access treatment, what the costs are. How do

you solve a problem when you don’t even know where you are?

I’m proud to be part of a team that stood forward last week and tried

to solve that problem with a meaningful announcement, with an idea to make

people’s lives better. I think that that’s a good start.

We talk about the issues that were mentioned today, earlier, and that

one in five British Columbians don’t have a family doctor. A number of those

British Columbians, almost one million…. A number of them reside in my

riding. A number of them are seniors. A number of them have very complex

health issues, and they’ve relied on a family doctor for that guidance for

their prescriptions.

A number of those seniors are waking up at early hours, taking the bus

and standing outside walk-in clinics in the hopes that they will be able to

see a doctor that is very unfamiliar with their background, with some of

their issues, their ailments, their prescriptions, and that’s a

challenge.

I will say that when I was listening to the throne speech, I heard one

member call it boring. It was a government member, I think, that called it

boring or lacking or something. I don’t want to give the wrong word. But it

was…. I agree, but I don’t even know if I heard the word “senior” in it

once. My riding represents a fair number of seniors, and there wasn’t a lot

of talk of seniors in the throne speech, if at all.

One of the major challenges that seniors are going through right now

is mental health supports. And a number of seniors in my riding are on v