2004 Legislative Session: 5th Session, 37th Parliament

HANSARD

The following electronic version is for informational purposes

only.

The printed version remains the official version.

Official Report of

DEBATES OF THE LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY

(Hansard)

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 19, 2004

Afternoon Sitting

Volume 20, Number 11

CONTENTS

Routine Proceedings

Page

Introductions by Members

Statements (Standing Order 25 B )

North Shore Rescue Team

R. Sultan

Multiculturalism in Surrey

B. Locke

B.C. Council for Families

V. Anderson

Oral Questions

Taxation levels

J. Kwan

Hon. R.

Thorpe

J. MacPhail

Review of surgical services by

interior health authority

Suffredine

Hon. C.

Hansen

Tendering process for roadwork

contracts

B. Lekstrom

Hon. K.

Falcon

Safety improvements to Highway 10

T. Bhullar

Hon. K.

Falcon

Funding for women's centres and

services

R. Sultan

Hon. I.

Chong

Budget Debate (continued)

Hon. R. Thorpe

M. Hunter

B. Locke

P. Wong

Hon. M. Coell

D. Jarvis

R. Lee

Hon. R. Harris

R. Nijjar

G. Hogg

[ Page 8669 ]

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 19, 2004

The House

met at 2:04 p.m.

Introductions by Members

MacPhail: I'm not sure that this will be welcome, but the member for

Surrey-Whalley told me she is about to turn a different age tomorrow. She's also

about to become a motorcyclist as she does that. Nothing about middle-age

crises, please. I think we should all wish her a happy birthday.

J. Bray:

Today I had the pleasure of hosting a guest at lunch who had purchased lunch

with their MLA to support a fundraising campaign in a local school. We had a

very interesting lunch, and he was so intrigued that he wanted to stick around

and watch question period. I'd ask the House to please welcome Mr. Paul Holden.

[1405]

Sultan: Present in the House this afternoon is an eminent North Shore

entrepreneur and a great believer in the free enterprise system. Would the House

please welcome Peter Kains.

Hon. I.

Chong: Today I would like to welcome a number of students — in fact, 40

grade 11 students. They are accompanied by three adults: Ms. Anne-Marie Thibaud,

Mr. Claude Gross and Mr. Jean-Luc Teyssier. This school group comes from Avignon

in the south of France, and they're on an exchange with Mount Douglas high

school, which is my former high school. I know they have had a tour, and they're

interested in seeing how this Legislature works — in particular, question

period. I would ask the House to please make them all very welcome.

Mayencourt: I'd like to make welcome the following guest, Leon Leontaridis,

who is an accomplished tenor studying at the University of Victoria. Leon is the

husband of my legislative assistant, Alison Leontaridis, and she's in the

gallery as well. Also joining them is Jamie and Megan Huckabay. Jamie is a

political science student at the University of Lethbridge, and he's also the

secretary of the Lethbridge Liberal Party riding association and in town

visiting his sister Megan. Megan is a music education student at the University

of Victoria, specializing in choral music and science education.

Also

joining us in the House are some good friends of mine from the Brewers

Association of Canada: Mr. Daniel Fontaine, Greg D'Avignon and Marco Dekovic.

We also

have an extra-special person in the gallery, Mr. Stephen Rogers, who was the MLA

for Vancouver South some years ago and a former Speaker of this House. Would the

House please make them all feel very welcome.

Hunter: I see up in the gallery a constituent and good friend of mine,

Jacinthe Eastick. I don't know if her husband, Peter, is with her. Yes, he is. I

want to introduce him too, because Peter is a man who runs the annual

Remembrance Day ceremonies on Gabriola. I hope the House will welcome both of

them here today.

Statements

(Standing Order 25

b) NORTH SHORE RESCUE TEAM

Sultan: I wish to speak this afternoon about heroes. I refer to the North

Shore Rescue Team, 40 volunteers who regularly put their lives on the line to

rescue people from the backyard wilderness stretching from Indian Arm to Bowen

Island.

In no other

major North American city are citizens 20 minutes away from where they can

immediately get into trouble in the wilderness. Virtually within our city

limits, people have been killed in snow avalanches, have been plucked off

mountainsides by helicopter or have simply gotten lost and died.

From small

beginnings 38 years ago based on one mountaineer helping another, the team today

is fully equipped for an all-weather response 24 hours a day, winter or summer.

Equipment is purchased through contributions to them from organizations such as

the North Shore Credit Union and Safeway. About twice a week the team is called

out to look for snowshoers who have not returned from the back country, to

rappel down steep cliffs to rescue stranded rock climbers, to follow

snowboarders' tracks into the icy gullies of Cypress, Grouse and Seymour or to

carry out smashed mountain bikers who have greater cojones than common

sense.

For risking

their necks, these 40 people are paid absolutely nothing. Search manager George

Zilahi told me that members believe serving on this elite team is their way of

putting something back into the community. What a refreshing ideal — to put

one's own life on the line year after year to rescue others without

compensation.

As we try

to rebuild the tradition of volunteer contribution in this society, the example

of the North Shore Rescue Team should inspire us all.

Mr.

[1410]

MULTICULTURALISM IN SURREY

Locke: I rise today to speak to multiculturalism. Without a doubt, B.C.'s

diversity is a critical asset contributing to our economy, our prosperity and

our identity as a province and a country. But more importantly, both the

Minister of State for Multicultural Services and myself are encouraged by some

local initiatives in our home city of Surrey — initiatives that celebrate the

over 90 different languages spoken in our schools. From curriculum development

to administration to the classroom, Surrey school district takes advantage of

the

[ Page 8670 ]

tremendous opportunity to expose children to the world right in our own

community. Schools encourage students to share traditions and foods. As a mom, I

have baked shortbread for my children to share with other children's pakora,

sushi and spanakopita.

Surrey

teachers, administrators, PACs and parents should all be congratulated for

creating a healthy dialogue and cultural exchange. Encouraging open expression

and emphasizing flexible minds are vital to developing healthy analytical skills

in our children and youth.

Thank you

should also go to Surrey Memorial Hospital. Our hospital now boasts one of the

largest birthing centres with private rooms for all the new moms and their

families. This is appreciated by the new South Asian families whose tradition it

is to share in the occasion. As well, a small temple has been opened in

conjunction with the hospital's existing chapel.

addition, Surrey parks department has also contributed by adding multicultural

signage so everyone can enjoy our parks.

Our

province is becoming more diverse every day. Thank you to the Premier who

appointed the new Minister of State for Immigration and Multicultural Services,

reflecting our provincial government's commitment to embracing our cultural

diversity. My Surrey colleagues and I welcome everyone to visit our vibrant,

inclusive, multicultural city of Surrey.

B.C. COUNCIL FOR FAMILIES

Anderson: In the throne speech last week, it was stated: "Later in the

year the Premier will host a series of round tables aimed at engaging B.C.'s

families in a discussion about their hopes and aspirations for the future."

This is a very significant promise, for it fulfils an ongoing partnership of the

B.C. Legislature which has continued from 1975 to the present.

In 1975 and

1976 two conferences were held in cooperation with the government of the day

about family life in B.C., bringing together representatives of communities from

across British Columbia. The result was an all-party resolution in the

Legislature, a unique process, to form the B.C. Council for Families as a

partnership with the B.C. Legislature, the B.C. community and the faith

communities of B.C. It was my pleasure to share in that important process.

The council

was originally formed by an order-in-council of the Legislature and became a

non-profit organization in 1977 to fulfil the mandate for the support of

families. For 27 years the council has fulfilled its vision in developing,

coordinating and supporting programs across B.C., for which it has gained

national and international recognition and praise. The council has developed and

tested courses for premarriage preparation; Nobody's Perfect program, a

parenting program for high-risk parents of children from zero to six; a

Parent-Child Mother Goose Program on early childhood, social and literacy

development; Ready or Not! for parents of 12-year-olds and under; suicide

education and awareness in the school system; and training programs for trainers

in family life. The council is excited about the Premier's focus on families and

looks forward to sharing with him in this process.

Mr.

Speaker: That concludes member statements.

Oral Questions

TAXATION LEVELS

J. Kwan:

Can the Minister of Provincial Revenue tell this House how much more a

two-income family of four making $30,000 a year will pay in provincial taxes in

the next fiscal year compared to last year?

[1415]

Hon. R.

Thorpe: Thank you very much for that question. Let me say that under the

previous government, a family of four making $30,000 was paying a tax of $3,739.

Under our government, including health premiums, they are paying $3,540 — a

savings of $189. Let me also say that under the NDP's alternative budget, they

want to increase taxes on those families by 27 percent. That is unacceptable to

our government.

Mr.

Speaker: The member for Vancouver–Mount Pleasant has a supplementary

question.

J. Kwan:

Well, the fact is that a two-income family of four making $30,000 a year will

pay $435 more in provincial taxes in 2004 and '05 than they did last year. Those

numbers come directly from the budget documents — the government's own budget

documents.

Can the

Minister of Provincial Revenue tell this House how much more a senior couple

with an income of $30,000 will pay in provincial taxes as a result of this

budget?

Hon. R.

Thorpe: Our government committed, under the leadership of our Premier when

we were running for election, to make sure we had the lowest personal tax rates

for those making $60,000 or less. Our government is achieving that goal. In

fact, families throughout British Columbia will continue to pay less taxes under

our government than they did in the NDP government of 2001. In fact, they want

to increase taxes on seniors, on everyone working in British Columbia, between

27 percent and 71 percent. That is unacceptable. Our government won't go

backward. We're going forward to bring out the very best in all British

Columbians.

Mr.

Speaker: Member for Vancouver–Mount Pleasant has a further supplementary.

J. Kwan:

The fact is that this government is collecting $1.9 billion more in regressive

taxes. The fact is that a senior couple with an income of $30,000 will pay $128

more in provincial taxes than they did last year. Again,

[ Page 8671 ]

the numbers come directly from the government's own budget books.

Can the

minister tell this House what the situation is for a two-income family making

$60,000 a year?

Hon. R.

Thorpe: Let me talk about a family of four that, including health premiums

in the year 2001, paid $6,895 in tax. In this budget, this 2004 budget, they

will pay $6,349 — a savings of $546. In fact, when Carole James and the NDP

get finished with this family, they'll have an additional tax bill of $1,700 a

year. That is not acceptable to British Columbians.

MacPhail: My gosh, I wish we could call an election so we could discuss

these matters. I bet you British Columbians will be looking to this government's

record on what they promised and what they've delivered.

Let's just

sum up. A family with two kids with both parents holding down two minimum-wage

jobs will pay over $400 more in provincial taxes, while a family with a joint

income of $60,000 will pay $128 more than last year. Now, the Minister of

Finance has said the reason…

Interjections.

Mr.

Speaker: Order, please, hon. members. Let's hear the question.

MacPhail: …provincial taxes are going up for low- and middle-income

British Columbians — he said today — is because property values are

increasing. Did he forget that it was last year that he increased property

taxes?

Let me get

this straight. Bob and Mary Smith, from their minimum-wage jobs, go home to

close a real estate deal on a $300,000 house in the lower mainland. That's the

Finance minister's explanation of why that family is paying more in taxes this

year. This government has its priorities all wrong.

Can the

Minister of Provincial Revenue justify soaking poor and middle-income British

Columbians to pay for the tax giveaway to the wealthiest British Columbians and

big corporations?

[1420]

Hon. R.

Thorpe: You know, British Columbia is moving forward. British Columbia is

now number one in job creation, number one in new housing growth, number one in

small business confidence, number one in destination for immigration investors.

In fact, people that those two members drove out of British Columbia are moving

back to British Columbia. We want our best and brightest back here in British

Columbia.

The facts

of the matter are simple. We promised to balance the budget. We're doing that.

We said we'd invest in health care, and by 2006-07, $3 billion more will be

invested in health care, $313 million invested in K-to-12 and $105 million

invested in advanced education. It's time those two members over there got on

the wagon of success here in British Columbia.

Mr.

Speaker: The Leader of the Opposition has a supplementary question.

MacPhail: Well, let's see what moving forward under a Liberal agenda means

for these families. One family, a $30,000 income family, will be paying $435

more this year than last. Maybe that's not much to this minister.

Now, the

Finance minister had another explanation of why this family was paying more. He

said: "Well, they're buying more, and so they're paying more in sales

tax." Did he forget that he raised the sales tax himself? Is the memory of

this government one hour long, one week long, one year long or zero?

Perhaps for

everybody in this caucus, $435 is nothing. But for a family of four living on

$30,000 a year, it's a big bite out of their budget. Can the minister explain

why his government, from last year to this year, is gouging more out of low- and

middle-income families in this province to cover his big tax cut? We haven't

even got to tuition hikes, ICBC, hydro, health care, Pharmacare premiums. Just

on straight taxes they're gouging the heck out of $30,000 families.

Hon. R.

Thorpe: It's very hard for those members over there to accept that British

Columbia is moving forward, increasing jobs — that people are moving off the

welfare rolls, having jobs themselves and able to look after their families.

Let's look

at the facts here. A taxable income family of $10,000 under Carole James's plan

will increase $110; $20,000 — increase $387; $30,000 — increase $664. And

the list goes on and on. It's about tax, tax, spend, spend — the NDP — and

British Columbians have had enough of that.

Mr.

Speaker: The member for Nelson-Creston.

Interjections.

Mr.

Speaker: Order, please. Order, please, hon. members. Order, please.

The member

for Nelson-Creston has the floor.

REVIEW OF SURGICAL SERVICES

BY INTERIOR HEALTH AUTHORITY

Suffredine: Last year the interior health authority sanctioned an

independent review of surgical services in our region. Now, few services are

more highly valued in small communities than surgery. The recommendations that

result from the surgical review include a number of choices. Changes to surgical

services in those small communities could actually affect their ability to

attract new people to our communities, so how the recommendations translate is

vitally important.

Can the

minister tell residents in my riding what those recommendations are likely to

mean to them?

Hon. C.

Hansen: This is actually a great news story for residents of the interior

health authority. As is happening throughout the province, we have approached

[ Page 8672 ]

this with the philosophy that every hospital cannot be an island unto itself.

If we're really going to meet the needs of patients throughout this province, we

have to look at the whole health care system as a network of services.

The IHA has

gone out for a surgical review to look at how that network works to meet the

needs of residents of that region. They're asking themselves where what kind of

procedures can be done most effectively and in the most timely fashion. The IHA

has gone out to meet with communities to talk to them about why this is actually

going to improve access to care so that people can get faster access and better

access. I think that's good news for everybody.

[1425]

TENDERING PROCESS FOR

ROADWORK CONTRACTS

Lekstrom: My question is to the Minister of Transportation. Improving roads

and road maintenance is of vital importance to the people of Peace River South,

as it is to everybody in British Columbia. In the past, though, tendering

processes for construction contracts have often been released far too late in

the season so that construction companies can plan ahead. Can the minister

please tell myself and this House what plans are in place to ensure the

tendering process for roadwork contracts is released sooner and in a more timely

fashion?

Hon. K.

Falcon: Actually, the Ministry of Transportation currently undertakes a

year-round tendering process, but I appreciate the comment from the member. As I

was up in the north a couple of weeks back, that was a very common theme that I

heard from many of the contractors. The ministry's objective now is to tender

one-third of our capital rehabilitation and heartlands programs by March 31 of

this year so that they're ready for this summer's construction season. This

represents 70 contracts representing almost $150 million worth of work in the

heartlands, and I think that will be very well received.

I might

also add that that's particularly important news after a decade of neglect where

we saw the previous government invest virtually nothing up in the heartlands of

British Columbia. Today, as part of our three-year program of investing $1.3

billion, $838 million of that $1.3 billion will be invested in the heartlands of

British Columbia.

SAFETY IMPROVEMENTS TO HIGHWAY 10

Bhullar: My question is to the Minister of Transportation about Highway 10

in Surrey and the area that I used to at one time live — a very dangerous

stretch of the highway. Numerous people would be killed on that highway. In

fact, I'd come upon accident scenes where individuals were killed. It's a very,

very dangerous highway. Are there any plans whatsoever to expand this highway,

given the danger that it presents?

Hon. K.

Falcon: Yes, you're right about that road. This is a road that the community

— and, frankly, all of Surrey — has been crying out to have widened and the

safety improved now for decades really. That program has been announced. We will

be widening it to four lanes from 122nd in Delta to 176th Street in Surrey,

which will then have a four-lane corridor going all the way through from Langley

to Delta. That is something that the work is beginning on just as soon as we can

complete the environmental studies, which the federal government requires us to

go through, and the engineering studies, which are nearing completion. The good

news is that the moment we can get shovels in the ground and tractors on the

road, we will have that underway.

FUNDING FOR WOMEN'S CENTRES

AND SERVICES

Sultan: My question is to the Minister of State for Women's and Seniors'

Services. A few weeks ago I attended a very lively forum hosted by the North

Shore women's coalition. There was a discussion of a variety of issues,

including the provincial government's decision to no longer fund women's

centres. Can the minister explain what the government is doing to ensure that

front-line service to women experiencing violence is not compromised?

Hon. I.

Chong: Firstly, as the Minister of State for Women's and Seniors' Services,

I'm very happy to hear that my colleague the member for West

Vancouver–Capilano is participating in dialogue around women's issues in his

community.

I am very

proud to serve with a Premier who is committed to providing direct services to

women at risk. On the North Shore we provide over $1 million in annual funding

for transition houses, for safe houses, for second-stage housing, for

counselling for women who have experienced abuse, under our Stopping the

Violence programs. Across the province we provide over $33 million annually for

our Stopping the Violence programs for women who have experienced abuse and for

children who have witnessed abuse, and we will continue to provide those direct

services.

Most

women's centres have told us that they will remain open. Some, like the North

Shore women's centre, have formed partnerships with local governments. Some have

formed partnerships with other community organizations, and they will continue

to provide those services.

Interjections.

Mr.

Speaker: Order, please.

[1430]

Hon. I.

Chong: This government will continue to provide funding that focuses

provincial dollars on maintaining direct essential services for women escaping

violence.

[End of question period.]

[ Page 8673 ]

Orders of the Day

Hon. G.

Plant: I call response to the budget speech.

Budget Debate

(continued)

Hon. R.

Thorpe: It's a pleasure to continue my debate here on the budget speech. I

want to start this afternoon talking about bringing out the best, bringing out

the best in our student achievement in K-to-12. You know, under the leadership

of our Premier, we have placed a very, very high priority on education. In this

budget we announced a major new initiative to address literacy.

The Premier

himself is establishing a Premier's advisory board on literacy. This is a

Premier who cares about our children, cares about our students and is actually

taking and showing leadership. With respect to funding on K-to-12, over the next

three years our government will be putting an additional $313 million into

K-to-12 education. This is good for our students today. This is an investment in

our future, and it's going to bring out the best in British Columbia.

When we

look at bringing out the best in advanced education, our government has

committed to creating 25,000 new spaces by the year 2010. In fact, we will

create 12,000 new spaces in the next two years. We have and are developing and

will be announcing a new comprehensive strategy to increase access to advanced

education institutes in British Columbia, because we know this, too, is key to

our future and key to bringing out the very best in British Columbia. Funding

has been increased to institutions so that they can provide for the students and

the courses that are required there. By the year 2006-07 we will have increased

funding to higher education institutes by $105 million, providing opportunity to

all regions of British Columbia.

I want to

bring out an issue and talk about how we're bringing out the best in health care

in British Columbia. You know, the members over there for Vancouver-Hastings and

Vancouver–Mount Pleasant continually mislead British Columbians in talking

about cuts to health care funding. In fact, nothing could be further from the

truth. Our government, to date, has increased funding to health care by $2

billion, and by the year 2006-07 we will have increased funding to health care

by $3 billion, to $11.3 billion — an increase since we took over from the NDP

of 36 percent here in British Columbia.

Bringing

out the best in British Columbia means that our government, under the leadership

of our Premier, is aggressively pursuing having the national centre for disease

control located here in British Columbia. We have the brightest, we have the

best, we have the expertise, and we believe it's in Canada's interest to ensure

that the national centre for disease control for Canada is located here in

British Columbia. That will continue to bring out the very, very best in British

Columbia.

When I look

at my riding of Okanagan-Westside, I think it's important, with respect to

health care, to take a moment and talk about the Summerland Health Centre. As

you know, our health care system was not sustainable as we know it, and we've

had to make some changes. They've been made in a thoughtful manner, and we have

been working very, very closely with the community.

[1435]

This centre

houses a variety of services under one roof for the community. Services include

public health, home support, home care, long-term care assessment, community

rehabilitation, speech therapy, community social work, lab services, imaging

services, day surgeries, extended care and diabetic education. The centre has

seen significant decreases in wait-lists for X-rays and day surgery while

increasing the number of people who are coming to Summerland for their

treatments. In fact, X-ray technicians are now seeing 800 patients per month.

Lab staff are seeing over 900 patients per month.

The reforms

in health care are working, and they're working for the people in the riding of

Okanagan-Westside. With respect to assisted living, the interior health

authority has recently made a call for expressions of interest to develop a new

facility for seniors and adults with disabilities.

This is

good news for Okanagan-Westside; this is good news for British Columbia. But you

know, the real test is what the constituents think. Let me just quote a couple

of articles from papers.

A resident

from Penticton came up to the Summerland care centre, and he was so pleased. He

said he was 100 percent pleased with the surgery and treatment, and he expressed

this in a very yummy way. He brought homemade baked apple muffins for the office

staff, nurses and doctors. That's one British Columbian showing how he

appreciates the changes in things that are going on.

Irene

Kennedy from Penticton recently came to Summerland health centre for eye

surgery. She had glowing comments about the service: "They were right on

time. Everyone was just wonderful, and I was delighted when they gave my friend

and I a cup of coffee while she waited to drive me home." She went on to

thank all of the nurses and the folks that are working in the Summerland health

centre.

When we see

people working together for the benefit of British Columbians, we know that

things are working for us. With respect to working and people providing services

in Okanagan-Westside, I'd just like to compliment the parent advisory councils

in the West Side, Westbank, Peachland and Summerland for the tremendous work

they are doing with the schools and our children. They know that we will

continue to work with them so that they can provide and show guidance to our

students and help them along, whether it be with computers or other supplies

they need to enhance their education.

You know,

Mr. Speaker, all of the hard work that members in this House…. People

throughout all parts

[ Page 8674 ]

of British Columbia could be at risk because the true NDP colours have been

shown once again. Carole James and the NDP, through their economic brain trust,

the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives, have told British Columbians —

and I suppose they do deserve a pat on the back for coming clean and telling

British Columbians their views…. What they want to do is roll back the clock.

They want to take us back to where we were. They want to take British Columbia

backwards, and we all remember the decade of the nineties, the disaster under

the NDP. They've told us they want to, as a minimum, increase personal taxes by

27 percent. For nurses and teachers, we see increases ranging from 40 percent to

50 percent in their taxes. For doctors, we see 66 percent to 75 percent

increases in their taxes.

What is all

this going to do? It is going to do what the NDP did to British Columbia before.

It is going to drive our best and brightest out of British Columbia when so many

of them have now come home. That is wrong.

The

economic backbone and the heart of our province is small business, and what does

the NDP…? What do those two members over there want to do to small business?

They want to increase their taxes by 71 percent. They want to destroy small

business in British Columbia.

[1440]

They're

also talking about forming a public bank. Many British Columbians will remember

their experiment under the Premier of the day, Premier Glen Clark, when they

introduced Four Corners bank. Now they want to take that concept, and they want

to supersize it. They want to bring in a public bank, and they want to use

people's pension funds. They want to take royalties away from our forest

industry, they want take royalties away from our gas and oil industry, and they

want to skim from Crowns to put into this new public fund, NDP bank. We know

what happened to the Four Corners bank. We know it has to be closed down. We

know that it has lost over $6 million of taxpayers' money. This has the

possibility of losing hundreds and hundreds of millions of dollars of taxpayers'

hard-earned money, especially their pensions.

They also

now are saying in this budget that they want to return to subsidies. The NDP

want to return to subsidies. They want to have the jobs and timber accord, and

they want to have Power for Jobs. Do we not remember? I know I remember, being

the minister responsible for the Skeena Cellulose file, that the NDP took $425

million of taxpayers' money and wasted it on subsidies to that industry. That is

absolutely not acceptable.

Then the

most alarming of all — and that's why it's so hard to take those two members

over there seriously — is that now they are talking about not balancing a

budget until the year 2010. Not only are they going to put British Columbia in

jeopardy today, but they are also going to put the children of British Columbia

in jeopardy tomorrow. They're going to put people like my grandson in trouble,

because they just want to tax, spend, tax, spend.

The NDP

have shown us their socialist model does not work in British Columbia. We need a

model here in British Columbia that rewards those who want to work hard. It

rewards those who want to take a chance. Mr. Speaker, they have to be stopped.

It's a very clear choice. It will be a very clear choice, and it's very

interesting that members of the NDP are now calling for an election.

The ballot

choice will be very clear. Do you want disaster, taxes, subsidies, public banks

owned and run by the NDP, or do you want a free enterprise system where those

who want to work hard get to make choices because they're going to have more

money in their pockets? Do you want a government that's committed to fiscal

prudence and conservatism? Those are the choices. Our budget is about moving

forward in British Columbia and building and bringing out our very best. I am

proud of the choices our government has made.

We said we

were committed to balancing the budget, and that's what we've done. We said we

would do it over three years. That's what we've done. We said we would protect

British Columbians by making sure it was a legislated requirement. We've done

that. We said that if we could, we would add money to health care. By the time

this budget concludes, it will be $3 billion that has been invested — an

increase of 36 percent over the NDP. There's $313 million in K-to-12 education

and $105 million in advanced education.

Our

government stopped subsidies to business. We now have a competitive business

climate. We're seeing companies move here from the United States and from around

the world, and that is creating jobs. We said we would cut red tape by

one-third, and we're doing that. We said we'd introduce fair and balanced labour

laws, and we've done that. Our budget shows an understanding of the needs of

British Columbia, for all parts of British Columbia. It reflects fiscal

realities — something that the two members over there have never understood

and, quite frankly, never will understand.

It's about

building for the future. It's about having leadership and a Premier here who has

a vision for the future on how we can bring out the very, very best in British

Columbia. It's about welcoming the world to British Columbia not just to visit

but to relocate here, to invest and to raise their families. It's about building

a world-class, prosperous community in all parts of British Columbia.

This budget

reflects leadership, vision and commitment to our principles. We said we would

do it. We did it. Has it been easy? There have been challenging times, and there

will continue to be challenging times. But we have a team that has tremendous

leadership, a team that works together, and British Columbia has turned the

corner.

[1445]

We are on

the road to prosperity. We are building a future. We are bringing out the best

in all regions of British Columbia, in all sectors of British Columbia. In the

Spirit of 2010 our government will continue to lead; to create opportunity; to

provide education; to provide

[ Page 8675 ]

health care; to provide for those truly in need; and to create and make sure

we have a business climate here that allows individuals and small businesses to

make decisions, to take chances, to succeed and to lead in the world.

Yes, this

budget is about bringing out the very, very best in British Columbia. It's about

leading to the future. It's a budget that I will proudly vote yes for.

Hunter: I am delighted to be able to rise this afternoon to speak in support

of the budget, which the Minister of Finance introduced just 48 hours ago in

this chamber. For me it was a special day on Tuesday.

One of the

reasons I sought public office…. I can tell you that many people have asked me

since: "Why would you do this? Why would you tear yourself away from your

family? Why would you put yourself in the public eye at your ripe old age?"

My answer, for the most part, was that I believed that under the former

government, the respect the taxpayers' dollars is due was missing. It was

absent, and I felt that I could do something about this. One of the major

reasons that I ran and I stand in this place today is because I believe that

public finances are a public trust that is one of the most important values we

have in a democracy.

The

Minister of Finance rose in this House to announce what he had promised and what

we had promised the people of British Columbia almost three years ago, and that

came to pass. We have followed the law. We are doing what we said we would do.

For me this is absolutely the crucible of what this government is about. I,

therefore, am extremely pleased and thankful that we have been able to get where

we have come.

There are a

lot of people who are being told we've gone through the last two and a half

years of tough times and difficult adjustments in British Columbia because we

cut income taxes, because we cut business taxes. I think that is the most

misleading argument I've heard in a long time, but it continues to have

currency. It needs to be restated over and over again that in June of 2001, when

this government took office…. This isn't the government speaking. This is a

group of independent financial analysts who looked at the books, who took the

public accounts of British Columbia. They didn't get paid for their work. They

worked for a month or six weeks, and they identified what I think in our heart

of hearts we all knew — that there was a structural deficit in the public

accounts of this province. What we didn't know and what really came as a

surprise was the depth of the deficit.

I can't

help but acknowledge, because the auditor general has said so, that there was a

surplus in the finances of this province around the turn of the decade. We also

have to recognize how that occurred. It occurred because we were at the

fortunate end of some very high energy prices, particularly electricity in

California and natural gas in North America, that created revenue streams for

British Columbia that were unsustainable. Even the former Finance minister of

the last sorry government, Mr. Ramsey, acknowledged that the revenue streams

could not carry on the way they were. So a $4 billion structural deficit was the

legacy of the decade of despair and demolition that we have now begun to turn

around.

A $4

billion deficit is a lot of money, and it has taken an awful lot of hard work on

behalf of every one of us in this government, on the government side, to work

with our communities, with people, to make sure we can actually turn that around

and start to produce the kind of economic strength in this province which we

should have, which we did have and which will enable us never to have to look at

those kinds of numbers again.

[1450]

The New

Democratic Party sugar-coats this. They say this wasn't a structural deficit.

Their math is always suspect. Even earlier today we heard math, and I don't know

where it comes from. They want us to forget the decade of decline. They ask if

people are better off today than they were three years ago. I think the answer

to that is pretty clear, and I'll talk about it a little later. What I see in my

community is a whole bunch of signs that show that not only are people better

off, but they actually know they are, and they're moving forward in their

economic lives in a way that is very, very encouraging.

Last year

when I spoke to the budget, anticipating the good news that we've heard this

week, I accused the opposition members of being mistresses of myth. I still

think they are. I still don't think they get it. As the last speaker indicated,

the Carole James budget that was published a week ago shows that the new leader

of the NDP still doesn't get it. They have learned nothing. They're like the

Bourbons. They still don't understand how public finances must work and how

strength in the economy is the fundamental basis for all that we value as a

society and that we expect government to provide to us.

To me, the

NDP budget — the Carole James budget — apart from all the scary things that

are in there…. You know, it's like a Halloween movie that doesn't have

a happy ending. That budget just confirms the New Democratic Party thinks that

individuals, investors, families and businesses large and small in British

Columbia are simply cash cows — cash cows for their great schemes, including

public investment banks.

I know

there is cynicism across Canada about our banking system, but at least we don't

have bank failures in this country in the commercial banking system. At least,

we haven't had one for a long time. We have structures and management systems

that protect our money. Would you invest in a public investment bank set up by

the New Democratic Party in British Columbia? I suspect you wouldn't. I know I

wouldn't, because I would like to retire with a few assets. If there's one sure

way of frittering away your assets, it's to put them in a socialist bank.

The NDP

dried up the cash cow that was British Columbia once before. They did it through

the 1990s. The evidence is clear. We all can remember what happened. I, like the

Minister of Provincial Revenue, am happy that the people of British Columbia

face a pretty

[ Page 8676 ]

clear choice. The choice is stark and it's obvious. The choice is between a

government that sees an economic plan, that has put forward an economic plan,

that has delivered an economic plan, a budget and a fiscal framework that is

sustainable…. It's going to lead British Columbia forward and lead us to

progress and capture what we can be as a province of Canada and as a society.

The choice,

the alternative as set out in the Carole James budget and building on the kind

of approach that they showed us in spades through the 1990s, is simply to go

back to the future — going back to an age where your taxes were high, where

the government decided what you should do with your money and where the

government decided how you should live your lives.

To me, this

is a very, very clear choice that is being presented to the people of British

Columbia. The choice is about growth. It's about personal responsibility and

taking personal responsibility for what you do. It's about a responsible

government. Every member of this caucus knows what responsibility means and is

prepared to accept it and live it day in and day out.

It also

involves respect for the taxpayers' money, the taxpayers' dollars. They're the

elements of what this government represents and what this administration stands

for and is building upon. We can reward hard work, or the alternative is to

penalize initiative. It's pervasive state intervention. It's crippling taxes,

and I mean crippling taxes. Can you foresee, can you look at your bank account

— imagine your bank account? Imagine the bank account of the working family

making perhaps $40,000, $50,000 or $60,000 a year in this province. Imagine the

tax load that Carole James and the NDP are planning to impose on those working

families in British Columbia. You think that's not crippling? Well, it's even

worse when you look at what they would be planning to do with small and large

businesses.

Here we

are, Mr. Speaker — the growth leader in Canada in jobs. You know, we've

reversed what was happening. In 2001 we were last. We're first. Why is that?

It's because we have a plan. We do what we say we are going to do. We are going

to balance the budget in 2004-05. That is creating confidence.

[1455]

The number

of small businesses in this province is increasing rapidly, and it's small

businesses, as we all know, that create the majority of the jobs in our society.

With the crippling taxes that the Carole James NDP budget would introduce into

the corporate sector, I suspect — I know; I'm very confident — that small

businesses would not invest in British Columbia. They would be driven, along

with their potential employees, along with people who would purchase their goods

and services…. The Trans-Canada Highway between here and Calgary…. The

Minister of Transportation would have to budget a huge amount of money because

there are going to be ruts in that road so deep that you won't even be able to

get there, if the NDP budget were to become the law of this land.

All of that

— the promise of ruin of our province versus an agenda which sees growth,

which sees people being able to make choices about their future — is bringing

our young people back to British Columbia from Alberta and Ontario and

elsewhere. The choice is clear. I think the budget presented the other day is

simply a confirmation of the choices put side by side with the alternative from

Carole James and the NDP.

I want to

talk a little bit about the impact of the '04-05 budget and the fiscal plan in

my part of the province. You know, we all talk about the '04-05 budget. One of

the things that's important about our financial planning in this government is

that we're not just going year to year, lurching around, deciding what we should

do year by year, but we actually set out a plan. We started setting out

three-year plans in 2001.

The fact

that we have a fiscal plan, that people can see the direction we're going, to me

is a hugely important feature of our fiscal planning. It's not talked about

much, but you know, anybody in the province can pick up this book and can say:

"Oh, what does the government have planned in the area I'm interested in

three years down the road?" We can start to have — and we have started to

have, in my view — a pretty healthy debate about how budgets will unfold, how

programs will unfold.

It is much

more healthy, much more open and much more helpful to decision-making and policy

than the system that was in place before. It's one more reform that this

government has introduced to make us as politicians, as servants of the public,

accountable to those people who elect us.

To go back

to my local area and what I think are the impacts of this budget and the

direction that we are proceeding in this province, what is it doing? Well, as

you know, my riding is Nanaimo. It's not just part of the city of Nanaimo and

some of its neighbourhood areas on Vancouver Island. It also includes a few of

the Gulf Islands, the biggest being Gabriola Island. I have to say that in my

riding, there is a confidence. The city of Nanaimo is confident in its own

future. The people who live on Gabriola Island are confident in their own

future. They are debating right now whether or not they want to become a second

island municipality, modelled on the way Bowen Island went. I don't know whether

that decision will be pro or con, but the fact that people are there, thinking

about their future, expressing confidence, buying real estate, I think is a

measure of development that I find very encouraging.

I talk

about real estate. Like the rest of the province there's a huge amount of

confidence in real estate in the Nanaimo region. We had a 24 percent increase in

housing starts in 2003. We have reports of people moving into the area from

right across Canada and parts of the United States. I happened to see a welcome

wagon piece in the Gabriola Sounder , which is one of the weekly

newspapers on the island. It mentioned names of people who had come to live on

Gabriola Island, who had bought property there over the summer — the hottest

real estate summer in Gabriola's history. These people…. I think only two of

them actually relo-

[ Page 8677 ]

cated from Canada. The rest were from other parts of the world. If that isn't

confidence in what we are doing in British Columbia — bringing new people, new

blood, new ideas — I don't know what is.

There's

confidence in Nanaimo in the investment community. Just as one example of that,

I want to cite an initiative that I've spoken about in the House before. Some

three years ago, when we got elected, there were some investors who looked at

the opportunity of bringing in some competition to B.C. Ferries for passengers.

We now have, as of late last fall, a ferry operation, a high-speed catamaran,

that takes passengers from downtown Nanaimo to the SeaBus terminal in Vancouver

in 80 minutes.

[1500]

It is

making a difference. The service has had some reliability problems, some startup

teething problems, but like the service that preceded it ten years ago, it is

having an impact. People are starting to look at Nanaimo as a place where you

can actually live, where you can get to the lower mainland when you need it. You

can get right into downtown Vancouver to do your shopping. It's investments like

this and confidence people have in regions like mine that are going to move this

province forward, bring more people here, and more goods and services. I think

it's an excellent indication of the kind of investment we're seeing outside of

the very obvious and very welcome real estate boom.

Other

members have talked about our education system. I want to say that in Nanaimo, I

am very confident — and I know other people are confident — about education.

I know that in the K-to-12 system, we have had enormous problems coming to grips

with budgets. We all know about this in this House, how difficult decisions can

be. My school district in Nanaimo has had a lot of debates, and they have taken

some tough decisions. I know that the school district — and, I think, the

parent advisory council — is confident about the future. They're confident

about the reforms we've brought into education so that the parents and

volunteers can actually go and have a say in how the school district manages the

education system in K-to-12.

I think

it's worthy of note, for all those who have talked about the budget cuts, that

the increase this government has provided to every student in the K-to-12 system

since we took office is over $500 per student, at a time when enrolment in the

K-to-12 system is in decline. I think that is something we should be

recognizing. Of course there are problems. There are always going to be problems

in resource allocation, but this is not something we should be shying away from.

We are increasing resources in education. We should be proud of it.

In the

post-secondary system, of course, we have Malaspina University College, which I

think is one of the primary post-secondary institutions in the province. It is

not the biggest, by any means, but it certainly is an institution which has

achieved enormous progress in the last ten years or so. At the moment Malaspina

University College is raising money in the community to expand its library.

Construction has started and is going on. In the last couple of years Malaspina

University College has built a trades training building. They built a new

teaching building, where the nursing program is taking place. There is a new

international building. That's important because Malaspina University College

attracts literally hundreds of foreign students to British Columbia and to

Nanaimo every year. In fact, Malaspina University College has the highest

percentage of private funding of any post-secondary institution in the province.

That is pretty important to me, and it is another sign of how confident people

are in our community. Malaspina is growing; it's expanding. It's a very

important part of our future. I look forward to working with them to keep going

in the way they've been going.

We've got

confidence in sports, in arts and in culture. You know, life isn't just about

money. It's not just about rushing from one place to another. Life is about

being well rounded. We had a debate in this chamber just a few days ago about

the value of team sports. Well, you know, in Nanaimo we are very fortunate.

We've got an excellent B.C. Hockey League team. We've got schools that are

famous around the province for what they do on the sports field. We have an arts

community which is extremely active. We have a new gallery in Nanaimo which is

doing extremely well. We have a cultural community, including Vancouver Island

Symphony, which is making Nanaimo a place that is attracting people because

those kinds of cultural and sports facilities exist.

We have new

owners of our BCHL hockey team, which is, again, a sign of confidence in our

community — a confidence that is grounded in the work this government and this

Minister of Finance have done to establish B.C. as a place where the economy can

grow — and we have a solid foundation for that.

Even in

recent years where tourism has been problematic…. In Nanaimo last year the

numbers were up. It is an interesting phenomenon. We have the fortune in Nanaimo

of being close enough to the Pacific Northwest, to the United States, and the

so-called rubber-tire traffic in Nanaimo is up. People who were planning to stay

for one night, I'm told by hoteliers in town, were actually staying for two and

three nights because we have an awful lot to offer, and we have an awful lot of

potential to develop in that area.

[1505]

The

business community is expressing confidence in this government and in our

community. The Greater Nanaimo Chamber of Commerce was voted by its peers the

Chamber of the Year in 2002-03. We have an airport which is in a position where

it needs some…. It's got a management plan; it's got a development plan that

is going to help make sure that we have in our region an airport that can

service our needs.

The member

for Nanaimo-Parksville this morning talked about the Nanaimo convention centre,

and it is long-awaited. It has had a couple of hiccups, but it is going to

happen. We have the property. We have the people. We have the location. We have

all the market-

[ Page 8678 ]

ing advantages to make Nanaimo into a very successful conference centre for

conferences up to a thousand or 1,200 people.

We have a

harbour authority in Nanaimo, which is a federal-provincial body which manages

the Nanaimo harbour, that has expressed huge confidence in the future of our

area, responding to what this government is doing and how it is creating

economic growth and prosperity.

I have

talked about this a number of times in this House before, and it's very relevant

to this budget. We have a community which is determined to deal with social

issues — social issues that predated this government and that will probably

post-date it, but social issues which I think without question have come to the

fore because of some of the tough decisions this government has had to make to

deal with that structural $4 billion deficit.

I have a

huge amount of pride for the volunteer and not-for-profit community in Nanaimo.

I can't say enough about what they do, and I can't say enough about how they

have responded to the challenges that have been placed in their way. Those

organizations — and there are many of them and many hundreds and thousands of

people who spend their time trying to help people who are less fortunate — are

now working with the city of Nanaimo. I give credit to the city on that, because

there is confidence in our community. There is confidence enough to face up to

the issues that are there in our community and to try and work together to do

something about it.

People in

the not-for-profit and volunteer community are pleased that we are working to

try and get rid of the underpinnings of the culture of entitlement which,

frankly, has been something that's been there throughout my adult life — you

know: "If you can't make it, well, don't worry. The government will do it

for you." Clearly, that kind of an approach is not one that we in this

government want to carry on. We think, and I certainly believe, that people who

need help must get help. We must focus on those who need the help the most, but

I think the days when the culture of entitlement was part of our society…. I'm

pleased to see we are moving away from that, and we're moving away from it with

the assistance of people who are offering their time to help people in

partnership with us.

I'm

confident because we've seen a significant reduction in unemployment in my

region. Nanaimo has had some tough times with unemployment over the years. In

the last few months we have moved down from an unemployment rate of over 12

percent to an unemployment rate of under 9 percent. That starts to make a huge

difference. Frankly, unemployment numbers can come and go. They go up and they

go down and to some extent depend on how many people are working in the forest

industry this month versus next.

You know,

there's another good sign. We have a forestry industry in coastal British

Columbia that is starting to show signs of coming awake from a slumber which I

think has been going on for 25 or 30 years. It's 25 or 30 years that we have

seen the evidence of an industry in serious trouble — low rates of return on

equity, an aging workforce, an aging capital structure. We're starting to see

some important investments in the coastal forest industry, and my community is

very much a part of the coastal forest industry. Despite the fact that most of

the industry exists in parts of the region which are not obvious from

everybody's front door, they exist at Duke Point and in the south end of

Nanaimo. There are extremely important forestry industry facilities in my town.

There's a major pulp mill. There are four major wood processing facilities, many

smaller ones, a whole bunch of forestry contractors, a major forest equipment

manufacturer, consultants and so on — all part of a business that has been

seeing tough times.

The reforms

that this government has brought into forestry are going to have and are having

an important impact. We're investing more money in the 2004-05 budget in

forestry to help drive this industry and help that industry move this province

forward as it can and as it once did.

[1510]

We have a

lot of confidence in our community in health care as well. I say this in spite

of the fact that just a few short weeks ago, we went through a very difficult

and troubling dispute with our emergency room doctors in Nanaimo. I'm pleased

that situation has been fixed. I think that in the end, credit goes to all

parties involved in that dispute, who were able to come to the table for the

good of society and for patients.

Now that

the situation is fixed, we can again start to look forward to what is going on

in the central Island region, particularly at Nanaimo Regional General Hospital,

where there is a $29 million investment going on today in a new surgical suite.

By the way, that surgical suite was promised 18 years ago. There is now a shovel

in the ground, and there are builders actually working to put that into reality.

That means there are going to be modern surgical suites in Nanaimo Regional

General Hospital. That means we are going to be able to attract new specialists.

I've always

asked the question: how come we have a problem attracting doctors and

specialists to Nanaimo? It's a place that people are, frankly, flocking to. I

include neighbouring areas. Everywhere from Maple Bay to Qualicum is part of the

region in which I live and which is serviced by this hospital. How come we can't

get more doctors here?

The fact

was that for 18 years new surgical suites had been promised, but people won't

come to where there are old facilities. That's changing. That is going to be

reflected in new services in Nanaimo — a hospital facility that will be a

referral facility. The chronic underfunding that plagued the central Vancouver

Island area forever in health care services has been, thanks to the efforts of

the Minister of Health Services, if not completely eliminated…. We've gone a

long, long way to eliminating it and making sure that in the Nanaimo area we

have the kind of funding for health care that is reflective of the population

and the age mix that we have.

[ Page 8679 ]

I think, as

well, that the aboriginal community in my part of the world is expressing

confidence. I'm obviously anxious about the decision that the Snuneymuxw first

nation are going to make with respect to the agreement-in-principle that was

initialled some 15 months ago. I don't know what their decision will be, and I

don't intend to coax them one way or another, but I do think that irrespective

of that, there is a lot of work going on in my first nation, the Snuneymuxw

first nation, that gives me encouragement that we are going to be able to move

forward.

They are

actively working on shellfish development programs with assistance from

Malaspina University College, which, by the way — I didn't mention this —

has an excellent and new Centre for Shellfish Research. That's one of the

specialties that we have in our area. The Snuneymuxw are interested in and have

tried to become involved in some property development ideas in Nanaimo. That

will eventually happen. The leadership of the aboriginal community is strong,

and it's determined. I enjoy working with them to make sure that the benefits of

what we are doing in this government are indeed made available and become

available to people of all racial backgrounds in our society.

Nanaimo is

a growing industrial and service centre. As I said before, that growth and

development is going to be greatly assisted by what's going on in the coastal

forest industry. Of course, it is largely a result of all the confidence that we

have in the various sectors of the community, which I've tried to describe.

As well, we

are, in our community, very well located to be a community that benefits from

oil and gas development in British Columbia — whether it's offshore or on

land. We have in Nanaimo a service industry, a manufacturing sector, lawyers,

accountants — all the people that, with a business, you need to deal with. I'm

sure that they, like me, will be very pleased to hear that the recent report

from the federal government gives us, essentially, hope that we can move forward

with the oil and gas initiative in a relatively short period of time.

Our

community is changing. I've talked about how many people are moving to Nanaimo

and Gabriola. That rapid population growth brings benefits and challenges. New

residents tend to be older, frankly. They have more disposable income, and real

estate prices are going up, but it does mean that some of the pressures on our

health care system in our region are going to increase.

[1515]

When we're

looking at this budget, we have to look at how this budget and the fiscal plan

set the framework for us to be able to deal with these issues. That, to me, is

perhaps one of the more important features of how our fiscal plan is working. We

don't have to lurch from crisis to crisis. We can actually plan out how we're

going to try and deal with the demographic challenge we know is coming at us in

health care — just as one example of how fiscal planning works.

A balanced

budget, which this is, means that we individually and collectively as a society

can make choices and address issues like health care and education. A balanced

budget and the fiscal plan that accompanies it mean fiscal prudence. It means

fiscal discipline. You know, government finance is no different from a

household. When a mom has a kid and a kid says, "Mom, I need a new pair of

running shoes," mom sometimes has to say to that child, "You know, I

can't afford to buy them this week," or "I can't afford to buy them

this month, but we've got a plan. We'll carry on, and we will get you those

shoes eventually."

British

Columbia is moving to that point in its future where the results of what we've

done are going to have huge benefits, and I look forward to working with British

Columbians to make sure that happens.

Locke: It is my privilege to rise in response to the 2004-05 budget on

behalf of my riding and the constituents in Surrey–Green Timbers. I want to

congratulate the Premier and the Minister of Finance for a job well done — a

job that required vision and long-term planning, a job that often meant making

the difficult decisions, and a job that took incredible perseverance because

there was always an easy way out.

But you

know, British Columbians didn't want the easy way out. As the Chair of the

Finance and Government Services Committee, I travelled the province from Dawson

Creek to Prince Rupert, from Cranbrook to Surrey and many points in between. We

talked with rural and urban folks, talked to industry and business, and the

message was loud and clear from British Columbians everywhere to stay the

course. Yes, it isn't easy, and sometimes we don't like it. But we owe it to our

province, our children and ourselves to get B.C. back on track, to put our

province in a position where we can make choices — positive choices for the

future of this province for all British Columbians.

There is no

doubt that belt-tightening is difficult. Given the additional pressures of the

past few years like 9/11, fires, floods, pine beetle, SARS, the meltdown of the

dot-coms and the U.S. protectionism affecting our number one industry of

forestry, some said it couldn't be done. Some said: "Let's take that easy

way out." The Premier and the minister resisted and did exactly what they

and this government said we were going to do — balance the budget. Getting our

fiscal house in order and bringing B.C. back as the number one province in the

country was why I ran for political office in the first place. Deficits and

debts are a legacy that will haunt our youth if we don't take charge of it. I

want the future for my children and for all B.C. children to be a bright one.

Rising from

the squandered nineties is a strong, positive British Columbia with an economy

ready to regain our status as the envy of the country. As a mom, I want to thank

the Premier and the Minister of Finance for their leadership. As of now, the

future looks much brighter.

The Premier

didn't stop there. This year also saw the most exciting outcome our province has

ever seen with the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Games. While others shared the

dream, there is no doubt in my mind

[ Page 8680 ]

it was the vision and drive of the Premier that pushed our bid over the top.

Talk to kids and adults in sport. They share the dream every time they step onto

the ice, every time they strap on their skis or boards and every time they do

just about any sport.

I'm a

ringette and hockey mom. I talk to kids every day, and they are excited not just

about being an athlete but about being a spectator or about being a volunteer

— simply about being part of the energy and enthusiasm that the games will

bring to our province in the run-up and during the games.

The

Olympics will also be about prosperity that will follow for our province well

after the games. Imagine three billion people all over the world watching their

TVs and seeing this amazing province, this jewel we all call home.

[1520]

With all

those eyes on our province, there is no doubt that showcasing B.C. before the

world will generate new revenue for many industries well beyond 2010.

Hospitality, real estate, manufacturing, construction, restaurants, resorts and

recreation are all excited about the future. Thank you for giving all of us —

most importantly, the children and the athletes — a dream come true right here

at home. Add to the excitement winning the bid to host the 2006 World Junior

Hockey tournament. Again, thanks to the Premier for going above and beyond, for

pulling out all the stops and getting these games not only for Vancouver but

also for Kamloops and Kelowna. I know Surrey will also see players at our arenas

practising, and we have great hopes that maybe one of our young hockey stars

will be part of the team representing Canada.

In 2006

we'll also see the world Little League tournament held right in my home

community of Surrey. Thousands of talented kids will hit the diamonds hoping to

bring home the gold to their country — all of this adding to the vibrancy and

economy of our community. The B.C. Winter Games this weekend in Port Alberni may

just be where one of those athletes starts their incredible journey. Certainly,

there will be many dreams by young athletes about 2006 and 2010.

I want to

talk about some other aspects of this budget too. This budget and the ones

before it are all part of a long-term plan — a plan that will see B.C. prosper

and send signals around the globe that this province is open for business. Be it

the 25 percent tax decrease when we got into office or the removal of the

corporate capital tax, the purpose and direction are ones that say we want your

business. We have lots to offer. Bring your business and your jobs to B.C.

That signal

is resonating. The old, strong British Columbia is back. Gone is the decade of

despair. Gone are government interference, burdensome taxation and ridiculous

overregulation that discouraged businesses and sent them elsewhere.

We see that

business energy increasing every day. Business optimism is up, and new

businesses are looking at B.C. quite differently. In my riding alone we see an

increase in economic optimism, with new businesses like J.P. Morgan Chase

opening up, bringing over 800 jobs to city centre. A high-powered company like

J.P. Morgan moving into town will boost Surrey's reputation in the investment

world.

Surrey's

housing is booming, with housing starts up more than 13 percent over the

previous year. Today our city stands at over 390,000 people, and we have lots of

room to grow and develop. It is anticipated that within the next ten years

Surrey's population will overtake Vancouver's and that we will be the largest

city in the province. That population is young. It's families, it's

multicultural, and it's very ambitious. This budget addresses many of those

aspects of life in Surrey.

Thanks to

the Premier, we now have a Minister of State for Immigration and Multicultural

Services. Integrating and welcoming new British Columbians is positive for our

city and good for business too.

Last

November, I was privileged to be a part of the India trade mission. The

synergies between B.C. and India, especially the Punjab, are extensive and the

opportunities for business tremendous. We are already building steel houses in

Surrey to meet the housing needs in India, and with over 1.2 billion people in

India looking for housing, this business is sure to grow.

There are

so many other opportunities for environmental, agricultural and educational

businesses to be further nurtured and developed. This new ministry will explore

and encourage those relationships for both countries. I know this is the passion

of the new minister, and we will see this opportunity flourish not only in our

relationship with India but for all countries and new immigrants looking to

settle in B.C.

While some

may not consider social infrastructure as part of economic development, there

are strong ties between a sensible, responsive social infrastructure and

business growth in a community. Good social infrastructure is responsive to the

needs of all citizens in a community and is part of the encouragement of

business to locate in an area of the city. The challenge for government is to

respond to that need in a sensitive manner that respects the demographic and

growth in the community.

[1525]

Certainly

in my own community of Surrey that is a significant challenge. Our city has

grown exponentially, and with that growth comes many needs for services to

enhance the quality of life in our community. Those issues include housing,

hospitals, detox and recovery beds, and services for families, children and

youth as well as K-to-12 and post-secondary. Services that lend a hand to people

so they can be a positive contributor to the province are critical — services

that help those who genuinely need help.

[J. Weisbeck in the

chair.]

While there

are partnerships between levels of government, there are also significant

opportunities for the private sector's involvement in the social safety net on a

P3 basis. The Abbotsford hospital is a good example of that, but there are other

opportunities in the areas of affordable housing for families and seniors, and

per-

[ Page 8681 ]

haps even detox. Those projects provide a win-win-win to the province, to the

business and, most importantly, to the people, families and seniors living in

their new homes.

Non-profits

are already taking this initiative. This year I was privileged to join in the

celebration of the opening of Salamat house in Surrey, a development for

families that was made possible by the Ismaili community, to the delight of 28

new families. Not only did this project provide good housing, but it provided

jobs and a brighter future for over 100 people, mostly children, who are now

living in this lovely little townhouse development.

I want to

personally thank the Premier for recognizing that growth in Surrey needs

attention. Thank you for recent transportation improvements and for other

critical infrastructure that is contributing to the positive development of our

city.

I must

acknowledge that it is particularly surprising to me that the previous

government chose to ignore and let down the people of Surrey by not addressing

the human caring and safety needs in our community — needs that affect the

lives of every single citizen in Surrey, be they troubled or healthy; needs that

have always been growing in our city to the point that we now have the highest

number of homeless people recorded in the entire province.

The

previous government obfuscated their responsibility to my community. Thank you

to the Premier for caring and for recognizing that Surrey has to respond to

those needs in a local manner. This budget speaks to people with multiple

barriers to employment to ensure they get the support they need by increasing

the ministry's budgets by $80 million — good news for those who may just need

a little extra help overcoming challenges.

Surrey is a

very young community. In fact, our school district is the largest in the

province by over 3,000 children, so you can imagine that education is important

to our community. This budget addresses the K-to-12 system in a very significant

way by boosting the overall funding by $313 million over three years. Add to

that the fact that our district is growing and the out-of-the-box thinking of

our very progressive school board…. The impact on our schools in the coming

years will be positive and significant.

Our

commitment to post-secondary will also be a boon to our community. Our youth are

looking for post-secondary opportunities, and this budget addresses that issue

with additional funding that will provide access — in fact, 12,000 new spaces

by 2007, an ambitious achievement, but one that was so necessary because the

previous government chose to play politics with post-secondary students.

This

government's actions and commitment are needed by students and businesses alike,

and Surrey students will be the beneficiaries.

In closing,

I am so proud to be a part of a government that takes its role as the keeper of

the public purse so seriously. This budget is a turning point for British

Columbia. The opportunity for everyone looks brighter as of now.

[1530]

P. Wong:

It is an honour to rise in this House to respond to the Speech from the Throne

and the Minister of Finance's budget speech.

First, I

would like to congratulate my hon. colleagues the Minister of Finance and the

Premier for delivering this province's first balanced budget in the last 15

years. Like all of my colleagues in this House and British Columbians across

this great province, I was delighted that the government delivered on its

election promise and fiscal commitment to all British Columbians, including

future generations, with a balanced budget.

As a

chartered accountant, I'm pleased that the government has adopted the practice

of GAAP, or generally accepted accounting principles. By utilizing GAAP, the

government produces budgets and support legislation that are truly accountable

and transparent. Users of this information and the public at large will find

this information more understandable, cost-effective, reliable and timely.

Becoming

GAAP-compliant, as outlined in the Budget Transparency and Accountability Act

passed in 2001, is another example of how this government has consistently acted

upon its commitment to all citizens and residents of our great province. Also,

as an accountant and member of the Select Standing Committee on Public Accounts,

I would like to take this opportunity to commend the work of Mr. Wayne

Strelioff, the auditor general; Arn van Iersel, the comptroller general; and

their staff, who have worked hard to implement these best practices in financial

reporting.

We have a

balanced budget. Our province's financial strength is sustainable. According to

the report titled Indicators of Government Financial Condition published

by the Canadian Institute of Chartered Accountants, the measurement of

sustainability is demonstrated by the ability of a government to maintain

existing programs and meet existing creditor requirements without increasing the

debt burden on the economy. In other words, can the government continue to raise

revenue in order to spend the way it does now? I believe it can.

The Finance

minister's revenue projects are conservative compared to those published by the

private sector. Additionally, the Finance minister has shown forethought and

advanced planning by including contingency funds that will help mitigate against

any unforeseen natural or economic disasters similar to the many that this

province endured in 2003.

One

indicator of sustainability for government is the comparison between net

liabilities and the size of the provincial economy. That is the gross domestic

product or GDP. I'm pleased to see that B.C. has a stable net-liability-to-GDP

ratio that's around 20 percent. This is a key figure that indicates the province

is able to maintain existing programs and reflects the health of the provincial

economy. This is only possible through creating efficiencies in government

spending, introducing economic measures that stimulate our economy and reducing

some of the money-sucking holes within

[ Page 8682 ]

government, such as unnecessary regulations. This government has already

eliminated over 90,000 such red-tape measures.

A balanced

budget has always been part of our vision for prudent public policy. Today the

Finance minister has tabled a balanced budget with a $100 million surplus. This

is clear evidence that our plan is working.

The

independent Economic Forecast Council is forecasting B.C.'s economic growth to

rise by 2.8 percent in 2004 and 3.1 percent thereafter. Our commitment to stay

the course and ensure competitive tax rates, reduce the regulatory burden and

balance the budget will ensure a thriving and diversified B.C. economy.

The Finance

minister said there would be no more cuts in all ministries in the government.

This is good news. In fact, as a result of being on track and on budget, the

government is able to direct new money back into priority programs and services

for British Columbians.

[1535]

One of the

top priorities in my riding is the urgent and immediate need of a hot-lunch

program for the poor school kids in Vancouver-Kensington. I have personal

experience in a poor family. I have learned that most hungry school kids do not

learn well in school. Many parents in Vancouver-Kensington have told me they

need food for their children. They would appreciate it tremendously if the

Finance minister could give top priority to reinstating the inner-city school

hot-lunch program. To help high school students, I will continue to garner more

financial assistance and scholarships for the needy students of Sir Charles

Tupper Secondary and John Oliver Secondary.

Comparing

the government's budget with that suggested by the Canadian Centre for Policy

Alternatives, I'm further reassured that the B.C. Liberal government is on the

right track. I was dismayed at reading the CCPA budget, which depicts a high

degree of backward movement in this progressing world, by which I mean the new

Internet era.

The

so-called Solutions Budget suggested setting up a public investment bank to

stimulate private sector investment. The NDP government already tried this with

the highly unsuccessful example of the Four Corners bank. That has lost over $6

million of taxpayers' money. To repeat the same error is an absolute waste of

the taxpayers' hard-earned dollars.

The

government is presently on the right track to attract more private sector

investment. The recent $1 billion investment in B.C. Rail by Canadian National

Railway is a good example.

I was

surprised to find that the Solutions Budget proposes to increase the gas tax by

5 cents per litre. That is a 150 percent increase over the 2-cent fuel tax

announced by the government several months ago.

Worse

still, the NDP 's Solutions Budget penalizes hard-working people with low

income. If one earns just more than $20,000 a year, the income tax rate would

increase by 26.4 percent. One who earns more than $30,000 a year will see a tax

rate hike of 25 percent. For the top marginal tax bracket, a tax rate increase

of 74.6 percent is proposed. This is alarmingly high.

While

reading this document, I had to ask myself if this is the NDP way to drive

prospective investors and other high-income earners, such as medical specialists

and talents, to the United States. It is an ill-advised and irresponsible

approach that would penalize all British Columbians, quite different from the

current Liberal government budget. The proposed Solutions Budget would balance

in the year of 2009-10 — six years away. During that time British Columbians

could expect to add close to $20 billion more in debt for our grandchildren to

pay. I do not believe the NDP budget would support any British Columbian, let

alone those who are disadvantaged or marginalized — those who the NDP purport

to represent.

With

respect to providing real and lasting opportunities to poor people, I recall a

lesson from one of my teachers that has always stayed in my mind: "To all

of you students, I am not giving you any fish, but I am teaching you how to

fish. This will benefit you for the rest of your life." I was pleased to

hear that the current Liberal budget has put aside $300 million employment

program money to retrain those in need of new and enhanced skills and people who

want to improve their life and their future without constantly relying on

welfare. By learning to fish, these workers will significantly improve their

lives. While acting with compassion and ensuring that all citizens are treated

with dignity, it is our responsibility to provide a hand up, not a handout.

Both budget

and throne speeches rightly discussed British Columbia's economic development.

We are all aware that the year 2003 presented some difficult challenges and

tried the determination of all British Columbians. Like the rest of the world,

we felt the impact of 9/11 and its global economic consequences. Closer to home,

industries and communities have been ravaged by health concerns such as mad cow

disease and SARS. Natural disasters such as floods, drought and forest fires

have wreaked havoc on communities.

[1540]

I do not

need to dwell on those events, but I think the response of British Columbians

and the government in the face of those crises deserves mention. Communities in

the heartlands where I witnessed firsthand the forest fire devastation have

begun to rebuild. Their confidence is up, and the commitment to and the passion

for this province are revitalized. During the critical period of the forest fire

over 9,000 volunteer firefighters risked life and limb to save homes,

communities and precious natural resources. Hundreds of volunteers journeyed to

the devastated areas to help out — cooking, clothing and consoling families.

I was

honoured to co-chair in a fundraising campaign, the We Love B.C. team. The

Chinese community in the lower mainland raised more than $310,000 for the North

Thompson Relief Fund through a series of events such as dinners, T-shirt sales

and including personal donations.

[ Page 8683 ]

What truly

amazed and touched me was the compassion that British Columbians demonstrated

and the strength and resilience of the fire victims themselves. Travelling to

Kamloops and meeting with residents affected by the tragedy, I was struck by how

much hope and optimism they demonstrated. This can-do attitude reminds one of

the original pioneering spirit shared by the first British Columbians and the

pride, drive and energy seen in today's citizens.

One of the

things that I would like to see happen today and into the future is having this

spirit and compassion applied continually within our society, our communities

and our neighbourhoods. It is wonderful when people step up in the face of

tragedy, but each and every day children, families and individuals are

disadvantaged, disabled and marginalized. Many live in environments adverse to

economic growth, personal development or long-term health. I believe we have the

ability to work together as a people to help each other and to provide love and

warmth where it may be lacking.

In order

for the government to provide more service to those less well-off in our

society, we need to generate revenue from a larger base of taxpayers. People

moving to B.C., people returning to work and people earning more money will all

help to do this. We must remember that all British Columbians — through

personal income tax, property tax and sales tax — generate government revenue.

That is why we need a prudent government to responsibly manage our public purse,

to ensure that the services essential to our compassionate and civil society are

maintained and that our hard-earned tax dollars are invested wisely and well.

Asia.

Having seen the potential of economic development opportunities in Asia, the

Premier has twice travelled to the region to promote trade. B.C. is Canada's

gateway to Asia and will benefit the most from investment in this relationship.

Not even a

decade ago China proudly emerged as the manufacturing hub of the world. It has

now become the largest global buyer of copper, coal, pulp and other resources

that our province can supply. A large number of families in China once below the

poverty line have now achieved middle-income status.

It is not

surprising that close to 600,000 self-supporting or government-funded Chinese

Vancouver. I quote Mr. Darcy Rezac, managing director of the Vancouver Board of

Trade: "The recent wave of Chinese immigration to Vancouver has resulted in

good and recent connections being made between here and China. That should mean

growing prosperity for the city." However, we still need to see more signs

of that investment.

[1545]

We have a

vibrant Chinese community in the lower mainland and throughout the province.

This community contributes greatly to the multicultural fabric of British

Columbia and Canada but also has a significant impact on the local economy.

Networks of people, business and services provided by the Chinese are a huge

component of the long-term economic sustainability in British Columbia. We must

work harder to encourage more direct Chinese investment in B.C. All British

Columbians will reap the benefits. I have high hopes for the recently appointed

Minister of Small Business and Economic Development to pursue this connection

and bring not just prosperity but culture and technology to B.C. China has

contributed greatly to human civilization for thousands of years, from gunpowder

to acupuncture and even a SARS vaccine. China's impact on global society is seen

around the world. Why not encourage this innovation right here in our own back

yard?

I would

like to talk about the riding of Vancouver-Kensington. Like my hon. colleagues

in this House, I see the efforts of British Columbians to make investments in

our community and the province at large. I see small and medium-sized businesses

contribute greatly to the economy and create new jobs. I see citizens developing

and implementing events, networks and other initiatives aimed at strengthening

our society.

Take, for

example, the Better Community Partnership Outreach Network, or the BCPON,

created by me together with Johnny Fong and Bill Lim. This innovative

organization brokers relationships between individuals and organizational donors

and recipients. Already the BCPON has facilitated the donations to groups in

Vancouver-Kensington, including the South Vancouver community policing centre,

Sir Charles Tupper Secondary School, the Riley Park group and many more.

The South

Vancouver community policing centre itself has become an instrumental part of

our community. Const. Mark Jarvie, Dr. Tony Gill and Andrien Balaz have attended

many community meetings and have made themselves available to answer questions

and concerns of Vancouver-Kensington residents. Tom Avendano and Eleanor

Guerrero-Campbell of the Multicultural Helping House Society work day in and day

out to provide a host of services for new immigrants to smoothly integrate

within society.

The

Victoria Drive Business Association, under the direction of Fancy Tam, Sam Chan,

Steve Yeun, Taryna Ho and Elena Agala, are working with small and medium-sized

businesses in the riding to stimulate business along Victoria Drive corridor and

encourage people to shop and consume close to home and invest in their own

community. Steve Gardner of Little Mountain Place, Paul Calderhead of Kensington

Community Centre, Joel Bronstein and Igrid Steenhuisen of Little Mountain

Neighbourhood House and their staff are providing much-needed care and

accommodation to children, parents, families and seniors.

Peter

Wohlwend, Theresa and Harvey McAuley, Dennis St. Aubin and Marcia Choi of

Dickens Community Group are great community volunteers in helping revitalize the

neighbourhood and fight crime in the community. These British Columbians are but

a few examples of all those who are making real and lasting

[ Page 8684 ]

contributions to our province and who are strengthening both the economy and

the civil society.

conclusion, I would again like to congratulate the Finance minister and the

Premier for presenting a balanced budget. It is also balanced between economic

development and the social well-being of our province. British Columbians are

people of great resolve tempered with compassion. We are a people of great

ambition and work ethic but firmly committed to civil society. We have the

ability to restore our province to the utopia it is. The government has given us

the tools and created the climate to do just that. Exciting events are just

around the corner. Opportunities are endless, and potential will be achieved.

The sky's the limit for British Columbia. I'm grateful and honoured to be along

for the ride. Excitement and positive change are in the air, and I'm sure

British Columbians across this great province of ours feel it and will

capitalize on it.

[1550]

Jarvis: Permission to make an introduction.

Leave

granted.

Introductions by Members

Jarvis: During question period I had some school children in here, and I was

unable to introduce them at that point. They are about a dozen children from

Windsor House alternate school in North Vancouver. They are here under the

auspices of Ms. Fran Brown. Would the House please make them welcome. They're

somewhere now in the premises looking at the beautiful building.

Debate Continued

Hon. M.

Coell: As always, it is a privilege to address the House. Today it is a

special honour for me to respond to the budget, a budget that delivers one of

our legislative commitments.

Firstly,

congratulations to the Premier for his strong leadership and to the Finance

minister for presenting a balanced budget, a budget that meets our government's

commitment to sound fiscal management. It is an important step towards

prosperity, a future with sustainable government programs supporting healthy

communities, a province where people want to live, a province where people want

to work and a province where investment is attracted and retained.

I would

like to acknowledge the hard work by many, many people that went towards

achieving this budget. As we know, commitment and discipline are the key to

achieving goals. We believe sound fiscal management is a key to a better British

Columbia, where the shadows of a decade of decadence are fading. This budget is

a catalyst towards a sustainable, prosperous future for all British Columbians,

their communities and the province as a whole.

Our

province was built on a vision of achievement, and we are working to reclaim

that vision for all of us. Now we can say the words "prosperity,"

"spirit" and "British Columbia" in the same sentence. I'm

proud to support the presented budget, and I thank everyone for their hard work

and efforts.

I am proud

to be the Minister of Community, Aboriginal and Women's Services. The ministry

was formed when we took office less than 36 months ago. A ministry has come

together from a broad spectrum of areas to offer the broadest range of programs

and services of any provincial ministry. With the core review we found ways to

more efficiently and effectively deliver programs to be accountable to the

taxpayers of British Columbia. We were able to draw on the power of different

programs and of staff and expertise coming together.

From the

beginning, the importance of partnerships and relationship-building was

recognized by my ministry. The core review might have meant rethinking a

corporate culture while meeting physical challenges. We met those challenges and

continue to follow the ministry's vision of safe and healthy British Columbia

— communities where individuals can take responsibility for their futures;

where people are self-reliant; where women, seniors, aboriginal people, new

British Columbians and new Canadians can realize their fullest potential; where

we celebrate cultural diversity; where public safety systems and physical

infrastructure ensure a high quality of life for all citizens.

Our work

and our successes in this ministry are based on relationships. We work with many

partners, stakeholders, communities and other levels of government from across

our diverse program areas. Our ministry could be defined by the word

"community." We are a ministry where economic realities and social

concerns intersect and overlap. We are continuously working towards making

practical and positive differences in the day-to-day lives of British Columbians

and their communities.

[1555]

I would

like to briefly discuss some of our achievements to show just how wide-ranging

our ministry is and how we work with partners and stakeholders. For example,

through the Canada–British Columbia Infrastructure Works program nearly $416

million to date has led to 200 projects in communities throughout British

Columbia. The majority of these projects — most outside major metro areas —

will ensure safe drinking water and wastewater management.

We made and

are maintaining a commitment to housing the most vulnerable with the largest

amount ever spent on housing in British Columbia history — $153 million. Since

June 2001 we have committed funding for over 3,400 units of subsidized housing

for our most vulnerable citizens. With effective partnerships between

governments, agencies and local government we can offer the maximum value for

every taxpayer dollar. For example, with a partnership between B.C. Housing, the

health authorities and non-profit and private sectors, we will see 3,500

independent living

[ Page 8685 ]

units providing a flexible housing option for frail seniors.

The

Ministry of Community, Aboriginal and Women's Services is a partner in the

Vancouver agreement with the city of Vancouver, the federal government and

ourselves to promote and support the economic revitalization and development of

Vancouver's downtown east side. By working to improve the material quality of

life for area residents, we can help restore the community as a viable and

secure one for its residents. The province provided $10 million to support this

economic and social revitalization.

As I said

earlier, our ministry is where the social and physical initiatives overlap. This

is seen within the ministry's aboriginal services. By helping to materially

improve the quality of life for aboriginal people and their communities, we have

a number of programs that cross economic and social lines. For example, the

aboriginal employment partnership initiative brings together the provincial

government, the aboriginal community and the employers to identify employment

and economic opportunities. To date we have signed agreements with employer

partners in the private and public sectors — partners such as London Drugs,

the Royal Bank, Royal Roads University and the Vancouver Island health

authority.

Also,

working in the private sector has meant the expansion of Bladerunners programs.

With the commitment of 20 developers, the number of youth participating in a

job-training program will increase by 30 percent this year. At-risk youth —

many aboriginal — receive on-the-job construction training while gaining

important life skills, self-esteem and valuable work experience.

We launched

the Aboriginal Youth FIRST and aboriginal excellence programs. These programs

devote attention and resources to address challenges faced by aboriginal youth.

If young people could become confident and healthy, they could become adults who

make valuable contributions to their families and to their communities

everywhere in British Columbia.

The

Aboriginal Youth FIRST program has both rural and urban components, helping

youth develop leadership and life skills. Many participants have already moved

to employment in sports recreation and adventure tourism. The aboriginal

excellence program is aimed at increasing the number of youth who participate in

sport at the elite level and encouraging aboriginal youth in general to be more

physically active. With leadership and life skills training, youth can benefit

from improved health, greater esteem, improved employment prospects and making

communities — their communities — stronger and vibrant.

While

looking to the future, it is important to uphold the past. The legacy and

tradition of language are a strong part of communities. We are continuing our

commitment to FirstVoices, an innovative Internet-based program to preserve

aboriginal languages. FirstVoices.ca is a partnership of public and private

sectors, supported by the First Citizens Fund. Even while certain fiscal

realities are being faced, we continue our commitment to the First Citizens

Fund, doubling the fund to $72 million. Interest on this fund supports

aboriginal business programs to increase their participation in the provincial

economy.

[1600]

British

Columbia's history is one of pioneer spirit and settlement. Immigrants in the

past and today contribute to the social and economic fabric of our province,

with new and demanding skill sets, entrepreneurial activities and increased

cultural diversity. Just as sound fiscal management is the key to a healthy

economy, multiculturalism and immigration are integral to shaping our present

and our future.

Recently

B.C. negotiated a one-year extension to the agreement with Canada on cooperation

on immigration. Negotiations are ongoing for a new five-year agreement. The

provincial nominee program was expanded to include a regional business category

to support the heartlands development. As well, the foreign students component

was expanded to include business-related studies. To assist employers in meeting

their requirements, nominations for highly skilled workers are up 30 percent,

with a target of 250 for 2003-04.

completed a pilot project under the international qualifications program.

Recognizing the difficulties some immigrants face regarding professional

recognition, credentials for foreign-trained engineers were completed in a

partnership with the Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists of

B.C., as were the projects related to other occupations in nursing, dental

technicians and dietitians. This year also sees $20 million for immigrant

agencies located throughout British Columbia.

One of the

key relationships we have in the ministry is with local governments in British

Columbia. In fact, as a former municipal councillor, mayor and CRD chair, I see

similar characteristics of local governments and the Ministry of Community,

Aboriginal and Women's Services. I understand the importance of working

relationships between levels of government. This year we will continue to

protect government unconditional grants, a commitment made by the Premier at the

annual UBCM conference in 2001.

mentioned, the Canada-B.C. infrastructure program has meant that 204 water,

wastewater management and community projects are underway or will start shortly.

We have worked with local governments around B.C., providing advice and support

for the Community Charter, which took effect January 1. This is a new era of

mutual respect and recognition of respective interests and of intergovernmental

dialogue. There are also changes in the area of heritage, with local communities

and groups stepping up to the plate.

While we

honour the past, we also celebrate the future. July 2, 2003, was a great day for

British Columbia and Canada. In 2010 British Columbia will host one of the

world's premiere events. We have an opportunity to showcase British Columbia to

the world and to

[ Page 8686 ]

make a positive difference in the lives of young British Columbians.

Mr.

Speaker, 2010 is also a multi-year economic development opportunity, with

benefits for communities and businesses from around the province. The games will

create sports legacies for our young people, enhance tourism, increase building

and infrastructure activity, and enhance economic development in general

throughout our province.

Looking to

the future, we've extended operating funding eligibility to 25,000 more child

care spaces, replacing inconsistent, piecemeal programs with equitable and fair

ones — what child care providers and families were requesting. For the first

time ever, child care services across government are consolidated in one

ministry, reducing administration, directing more funds to children and getting

the best value for the taxpayer's dollar.

[1605]

While

providing support for the most vulnerable families — allowing those with low

to moderate incomes to keep their jobs, to get training so they can provide the

best support for their families — we have also protected $33 million of

funding for transition housing and counselling for women and children through

the Stopping the Violence and Children Who Witness Abuse programs. With over

17,000 women and their children using these services last year, it is important

to remember that this funding goes directly towards women and children most in

need.

I hope that

from my description I have given everyone an understanding of what this ministry

does and how it's affected by the budget — a ministry where different areas

were brought together to share a synergy, building on the strengths and

diversity of partnerships both within the ministry and with other provincial

ministries and agencies.

As we are a

ministry where social factors and economic realities intersect, we have grown to

be the community ministry. We have the ability to make practical and positive

differences in the day-to-day lives of all British Columbians. While working

towards our government's goal — a strong, vibrant economy; a supportive social

fabric; healthy and sustainable communities — we are working to rebuild a

province where a solid economic and physical foundation will last for

generations upon generations. With creativity, energy, innovation and this

budget, we will accomplish those goals.

Jarvis: Mr. Speaker, thank you for the opportunity to get up and speak to

the budget. Once again, I think this is probably my thirteenth budget, although

I've only been elected for 12 years. One time, years ago, the NDP had two

budgets in one year. They still didn't get it straight, but nevertheless that

was way back when.

I guess

this is the first budget that I've been able to get up and say that the budget

is balanced under the new GAAP method. Although the previous government did have

a couple of budgets that they said were balanced, they were always a little bit

askew in certain directions and using money that perhaps…. In one case the

money they got out of California didn't all show up, and it's still owed. About

$300 million is still owed to the B.C. government.

This is

truly a balanced budget. It is a budget, as I said, that will stand on its own.

It's not playing around with the books. It's under the true accounting

principles put out by the province and the accountants' associations. I guess we

are going to see better things arise from this balanced budget. That doesn't

mean that now we have a balanced budget, we have an open chequebook,

unfortunately, and that rampant spending will start again. Spending is going to

get better, but it's going to take a little while before we can gain a position

where we can look after everything that we have on our wish lists.

We have

three and a half years now of restructuring aimed at trying to get to this

balanced-budget position, and doing so certainly wasn't an easy task. Over

12,000 government jobs were removed, and the respective ministries cut their

operating costs by some 25 percent. You know, no government nor minister nor MLA

likes to see this hardship occur, but it was necessary, as we had to show some

fiscal prudence in this province and get control of our expenses, our

expenditures.

This

province's economy was one of the worst in Canada for the last few years, due to

previous deficits and rampant spending of money we didn't have over the previous

ten years. As a result of frugal spending and management, we are seeing now the

valid signs of a recovery. That's towards a full economic recovery.

[1610]

This budget

does emphasize that the major spending over this next year will be to health and

education. Spending will be towards improving education and the health services

versus salaries, where it has been largely spent in the past years.

education, for example, I know that a college in my riding, Capilano College,

will be more than pleased to see the funding to all the post-secondary

institutions in this province, along with the government's pledge to add an

additional 25,000 student spaces in the colleges and universities over the next

six years. This will also relieve the pressures in my own riding's — and the

rest of the province's — high schools. It won't just always be the top

percentile that will be able to enter university. That threshold has been

lowered somewhat so that more kids that should go to university are able to go

to university. It's going to be an advantage to this whole province to have a

better-educated society.

This will

be a defining moment in B.C. as a result of this balanced budget. Much is being

made of the budget, not just because we made a promise to do so back in the year

2001. It signifies that we are now back in business, and the economy is going to

be once again, as I said, a healthy economy. We can start now to meet the needs

of all British Columbians, be they social or fiscal needs. The result and

purpose of a balanced budget is that we will see a surplus. It's not a large

sur-

[ Page 8687 ]

plus this year — in fact, a very small surplus — but it's a start. You

have to start somewhere. As someone here mentioned the other day, before you can

make two dollars, you have to earn one dollar.

The

balanced-budget law, or what they call the Balanced Budget and Ministerial

Accountability Act, was put forward in this Legislature in 2001 when we first

became government. This bill, in essence, states that the government must not

have a deficit after 2004-05 — those estimate years. That was actually only

three days ago. On February 17, 2004, it was mandatory that B.C.'s budget be

balanced, and it was. This is what we now have, and it will remain balanced for

the years to come, as long as we are prudent.

As it has

been related before, over the past two years B.C. has created more jobs than any

other province across Canada. Over 154,000 jobs were created. This steady

performance has resulted from a steady, modest growth of approximately 2 percent

to 3 percent. At this time it is 2.8 percent that this budget has predicted we

will increase our economy to. It's a conservative figure in relationship to the

figures quoted nationally, and even Ontario ran about 3.7 percent.

The

Minister of Finance is being conservative — small-c, that is — and we are

not going to push ourselves to the point where we have situations that occur

such as we have had in these past years. The government's restructuring program

realizes there's a lot of uncertainty out there. When you consider the problems

we've had in these years — the softwood lumber, which still isn't solved yet;

the land use claims that still have not been settled, although they are now

becoming better and better, and we can see something come down the road which we

didn't have before; and the aboriginal concerns, of course, just to name a

few….

[1615]

The

restructuring is concentrating on getting the economy moving over this next year

or the next couple of years. The economy has to grow, or this province will not

grow.

Mining is

improving in this province and will improve even more. We have great optimism

here in B.C. that the world economies will start to turn around. All you have to

do is look at the financial page, and you'll see that the metal prices of copper

are now up about $1.18 a pound — that's in American dollars — and about $400

an ounce for gold, plus or minus. Nickel is about $6 a pound now. It wasn't too

long ago when those figures were quite a bit lower.

Exploration

is actually exploding for the first time since the mid-nineties. Claim-staking

has risen at least 20 percent, and drilling programs are climbing as they see

the companies taking advantage of the rising metal prices. This government's

philosophy is going to help as we continue to change the regulatory burdens and

the taxes and to encourage investment in this province. We're going to see a

better 2004, a better 2005, and in the future — '06 and on up to the Olympics

year of 2010 — we're going to see major growth in this province as long as we

all remain prudent, fiscally responsible and positive.

Mining is a

major revenue producer, as I said, in this province, and B.C. is once again

going to see some great growth in that resource community. One of our goals is

to see all the resource communities in this province thriving once again. There

has been, unfortunately, bad news for a lot of them over a lot of years. The

government is streamlining regulations in investments. They're lowering the tax

burdens and trying to spur on economic development, and it's starting to move.

We see up

in the northwest of this province, just below Atlin, the Tulsequah Chief mine

has basically been approved. It will start going into production, and 200 or 300

men will be going to work there. The Red Chris, a little lower in the northwest

— I think it's just off the Iskut River — is going to come into production.

The building program and the mining program that they're going to have and the

jobbers that will supply them with material and everything will mean, overall,

about 700-plus-or-minus jobs to this province.

Myra Falls,

right up here — the only mine that we have in a park in this province — has

just now been sold on a share agreement. This doesn't mean a bad thing. It means

the new buyers are positive that things are going to happen in British Columbia.

There's Breakwater Resources. They bought it from Boliden, and we expect to see

that continue producing great things in this province.

I'm not

quite sure if the figures are correct today, but it wasn't too long ago that the

Myra Falls mine was producing more revenue for this province than the entire

cruise industry in British Columbia. Mining is good, and mining is getting

better in this province. It was mentioned earlier today that mining makes a very

small imprint on this province. Only 1/10 of 1 percent of this province is being

mined at the moment, so the environmentalists who feel that mining is bad should

really take another look at it to see that the people who not only work in it

but own these mines and operate them are responsible individuals. Especially,

the workers who live and work and camp in that area, or use their spare time to

stay in the area do not get up in the morning and go out and try to trash this

province.

[1620]

I know that

up in the Williams Lake area, just north and east, there's the Gibraltar mine,

and just south of the Williams Lake is the Mount Polley mine — two great mines

that are now going to reopen. They've rediscovered great ore bodies — new,

rich veins of copper — and they're going to be starting. There are another

thousand men that are going to be working in the Cariboo area of our province,

and that's good.

The member

from West Vancouver and I took an air flight up to the Kemess mine in the

interior of British Columbia, way north of Prince George, and we looked at a new

venture going on there. Subject to DFO…. I wish there was no such thing as a

DFO, because they certainly aren't really considerate of what is going on in

British Columbia or helping us get out of the problems we've had. If they can

approve that mine up there, we'll see another 300 men going, and those

[ Page 8688 ]

two mines will be going for an average of about another 12 years in this

province — another thousand men.

It's so far

north…. I don't know if people realize how expansive this province is. This is

a big province. I like to tell people that when the member from West Vancouver

and I flew up there, if we had actually got in our car and were able to drive

all the way up to that point, which is about three-quarters of the way up

British Columbia, it's so far that we could have actually driven to somewhere in

Saskatchewan, probably Regina…. We could have driven there quicker, or we

could have driven down to San Francisco quicker.

That shows

you the expanse of this province, what hasn't been explored and the potential of

growth in this province that we haven't gone after. If we want to continue

getting out of the doldrums we're in with regard to the enormous debt that we

have and that we are leaving for our children and our grandchildren to pay off,

we have to get resources, and we have to bring revenue to the province. That is

what supports our health care and our education. Money just doesn't grow on

trees, and you just can't tax your citizens continually, so you have to have

development and revenue brought in through investment and developing.

As I was

reading in the paper the other day, a few years ago Vancouver, along with

Montreal, was appointed as the international finance centre for the west coast

of Canada. That itself will be of advantage to everyone in this province, and it

will help developing businesses. In 1988 there were over 50 banks, trust

companies and investment dealers that opened up offices in Vancouver, and now

they are starting to see the fruits of their endeavours.

The

government, as I said, is streamlining all the regulations to encourage

investment, to lower their tax burden and to spur development. One of those

things is the energy field. Energy right now has eclipsed forestry as our

largest revenue generator, and the potential has really no end in sight, with

the prospect of offshore drilling for gas and oil and the great potential of the

Bowser basin and the Nechako basin. We see the Queen Charlotte basin and the

Winona and Tofino and Georgia basins. All of them have tremendous resources

suspected to be below the surface there.

It's not as

though we're going to have great big drilling rigs out there that are going to

destroy the environment. That's completely wrong. In some cases, where it's

shallow we can even put a drill and drill straight out from the shore and go

down. Science is on our side, and science is improving all the operations of all

the resource industries so that they do not impact our environment. This is a

thing we can expect. The prospect of both mining and forestry rejuvenating is

going to be an additional bonanza for this province.

[1625]

We will

also have growth in our tourism, due to our natural beauty. Every business is on

the threshold of a real recovery — even the film industry, which is very

predominant in my own riding in North Vancouver and all along the North Shore,

which holds a link to tourism. For every film that is filmed up here, it's a

little more advertising for beautiful British Columbia. Both are being affected

by the dollar exchange and some of the rules and regulations and taxation we

have.

On the

North Shore we have, as I say, a thriving film industry, and that has become a

global industry. In my riding of North Vancouver–Seymour and in North

Vancouver–Lonsdale and West Vancouver–Capilano, we have an estimated 4,500

people who are making their living in this industry. Taxable income is in excess

of $92 million in my riding. These numbers do not even take into consideration

the numbers from the service companies that supply them and the private sector

business that relies on the film industry.

The film

industry is truly a boon to our constituents and to the provincial government as

well. This industry is a very competitive business, and there is a danger of

losing considerable advantage due to taxation. They are now coming to the

provincial government and asking them to give some consideration to their

problem. I know for sure that I and, I believe, my associate from West Vancouver

will be talking to the ministers and seeing how we can help them out and keep

that as a thriving business on the North Shore.

One thing I

think should be made clear to a lot of people listening in right now is who

actually contributes to the B.C. economy. At one time it was forestry; it was

No. 1. Right at the moment the No. 2 contributor to our economy is

manufacturing. Construction is No. 3. Finance — that includes insurance and

the real estate industry — is now No. 4, moving up. Mining is No. 5, and it's

moving up. Tourism is in the No. 7 spot. We have to bear in mind that our

resources, ostensibly, are the ones that bring in the revenue that fuels this

province.

I'll sum up

by basically saying that this is a very good budget. It has shown fiscal

prudence by this government, and we are now in control of our expenditures. We

have over two million people working in this province, the first time that's

ever occurred. Jobs are growing. We do need growth to show investment and to

continue with the investment we are…. We are a pro-business government;

there's no question about that. We have to get that business sector growing

again. We are seeing that happen, and that's the evidence we are being told

about. It's the evidence we need to have a thriving British Columbia, to bring

people back and to bring investment and business to British Columbia.

I see my

time is running out, so I will close by saying that I am prepared to support

this budget. There are points I'm going to work on and see if we can get a

better deal for my constituents — always my constituents. As I said, this

building was built 106 years ago, and there have been millions of people through

this province. I am fortunate to represent the citizens and constituents of

North Vancouver–Seymour. There has only been, I believe, 861 MLAs ever elected

to this Legislature here. It's a pr