Third Session, 42nd Parliament

(2022) OFFICIAL REPORT

OF DEBATES

(HANSARD)

Monday, April 4, 2022

Morning Sitting

Issue No. 179

ISSN 1499-2175

The HTML transcript is provided for informational purposes only.

The PDF transcript remains the official digital version.

CONTENTS

Orders of the Day

Private Members’ Statements

Daffodil Month

M. Starchuk

K. Kirkpatrick

Understanding affordability

B. Banman

J. Sims

Sikh Heritage Month

A. Singh

M. de Jong

Relief for renters

J. Sturdy

K. Paddon

Private Members’ Motions

Motion 7 — Government plan for economy

P. Alexis

P. Milobar

R. Glumac

C. Oakes

B. Anderson

M. Bernier

J. Brar

R. Merrifield

K. Greene

T. Stone

R. Russell

MONDAY, APRIL 4, 2022

The House met at 10:02 a.m.

[Mr. Speaker in the chair.]

Routine Business

Prayers and reflections: A. Singh.

Orders of the Day

Private Members’ Statements

DAFFODIL MONTH

M. Starchuk: Like many of us in the public, we’ve been contacted about the

events in Ukraine.

[S. Chandra Herbert in the chair.]

I wanted to take a brief moment to let people know there is a

Service B.C. phone line set up now at 1-800-663-7867, with translation

services in Ukrainian, Russian and 140 other languages, available from

7:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. in the evening. This will help people arriving

from Ukraine and their families in locating and accessing the services

they need, such as employment, health care, housing and education, and

to coordinate British Columbians who want to volunteer or donate their

time to help displaced Ukrainians feel welcome in British

Columbia.

Dyakuyu.

Every year the Canadian Cancer Society’s Daffodil Campaign unites

Canadians to take action for the nearly half of Canadians expected to be

diagnosed with cancer in their lifetime. Two in five Canadians, 44

percent of men and 43 percent of women, are expected to develop cancer

during their lifetime. Unfortunately, about one out of every four

Canadians, 26 percent of men and 22 percent of women, are expected to

die from cancer.

[10:05 a.m.]

The big hope of any cancer researcher for their work is to

contribute to saving lives. Saving lives by helping people reduce their

risk of getting cancer. Saving lives by catching cancer earlier, when

treatments are more likely to succeed. Saving lives by making treatments

more effective and gentler.

The research with donation funds has increased the understanding

of what causes cancer and how to prevent it. This knowledge leads to

effective strategies to help people reduce their risk so fewer Canadians

hear the words: “You have cancer.” There has been significant progress

in reducing cancer incidents and mortality.

Today we know more than ever before about what causes cancer, how

it develops and how best to prevent and treat it. Despite the progress

we’ve made, the number of new cancer cases continues to increase as a

result of the growing and aging population. Between 2015 and 2030, the

number of new cancer cases diagnosed is expected to increase by about 40

percent. Researchers estimated that there would be about 229,200 new

cancer cases and 84,600 cancer deaths in Canada in 2021. This does not

include the number of estimated new cases that doesn’t include

non-melanoma skin cancer cases.

Based on the data from 2015 to 2017, the predicted five-year net

survival for all cancers combined was 64 percent. This is up from 55

percent in the ’90s. More importantly, in the 1940s, the survival was

only about 25 percent. Cancer mortality is decreasing over time. Since

the cancer mortality rate peaked in 1988, it has decreased by 37 percent

in men and 22 percent in women, between 1988 and 2021.

This is good news and shows that early detection and early

treatment works. This is what researchers want to see, and that is why

donating to the Canadian Cancer Society during the Daffodil Campaign is

so important. Hope is more than a word. Hope is action. This Daffodil

Campaign, help people affected by cancer and give hope life with your

daffodil donation.

We heard the news from the Premier last week when he was diagnosed

with cancer, and now we see his treatment has concluded and he’s back

and ready to take on the challenges we all face in British Columbia.

Today, on both sides of the floor, there are members who are currently

undergoing treatment, and my thoughts and prayers are with

them.

Knowing what is normal for you, to help notice changes in your

body, is important. When you notice something that’s different about

your body, like a new growth or a lump, increased fatigue or dramatic

weight loss, it needs to be checked out right away. When cancer is found

early, it’s often easier to treat.

From my personal circumstances, I belong to the 100-moles-or-more

category, a very exclusive club. My dermatologist insisted on me getting

some clinical photography done. That was over 30 years ago, and it

provided me with a new photo album.

For those that are not familiar with clinical photography, it’s a

pretty humbling experience where every inch of your body is captured on

film. They suggested to me to shave my head prior to the photos, and no,

that’s where I drew my line. Because of this photo album, I’m able to

see different doctors, and they can see my baseline from over 30 years

ago and maybe new moles or moles that have changed in shape. I will be

returning later this year to have two more of those suspicious moles

removed.

I’d be remiss if I didn’t talk about the new Surrey

hos­pital and cancer centre coming to Surrey to meet the needs of

a growing and aging population. The new cancer centre will include an

oncology ambulatory unit, chemotherapy, radiation therapy, functional

imaging, PET-CT, cyclotron and six linear accelerators.

[10:10 a.m.]

For some people that are living in the area, they will no longer

have to have that long drive to somewhere else to get their treatment.

Nothing adds to the stress like being stuck in rush hour getting to your

treatment. Even getting stuck in traffic after your treatment is nothing

to look forward to.

K. Kirkpatrick: Normally, if I was going to be making a response and I stood up

and discovered, as I have today, that the second page of my notes is

missing, I would really panic. But today I can tell you a little bit

about some of my personal experience. I know a lot about this now, so

I’m not going to panic.

When I looked out in my yard this past weekend, I could see the

tops of the daffodils pushing their way through the wet soil. The rain

was pelting down and the weather still cold, but there they were,

nonetheless.

The first flower to bloom in the spring is the daffodil. It’s a

symbol of strength, courage and even hope. This is the reason it’s the

symbol of the Canadian Cancer Society’s Daffodil Campaign. April is

Daffodil Month, and I’m very pleased that we’ve taken the time to

recognize that here today.

Every day more than 600 Canadians hear the words: “You have

cancer.” On November 10 this last year, I became one of them. My

goodness, I didn’t know that was going to come.

I know so many of my colleagues in the House have been impacted as

well — themselves, a family member or a friend. The Leader of the Third

Party shared last week her personal story of the impact of cancer on her

and her family.

Since my diagnosis, so many people in this House have reached out

to me, and constituents and people in the public, to share their stories

and to share their support. It didn’t matter what side of the House

everyone was on. We all come together with each other when we’re going

through something like this.

The first Daffodil Days took place in 1957, and that was long

before men donned their moustaches for Movember. In fact, it’s the

longest-running Canadian charity event in history. Donors have provided

more than $1.4 billion to cancer research since its inception. It’s

because of research like that — and new equipment and new knowledge that

we have in cancer research and diagnosis — that the story I have to tell

is actually a very positive one.

I was diagnosed with invasive lobular cancer, and until I actually

had a cancer diagnosis, I didn’t know what any of this stuff was. You go

online, you talk to everybody, and you figure out what it is. But those

who of you who have been impacted will understand what this is. Invasive

lobular cancer….

I’m one of a select group of people in the world who also was

diagnosed as triple-N. This is, apparently, a very, very rare condition

that they don’t even have any research on. So this was, obviously, quite

terrifying to me. But because of the research and their ability to

diagnose this cancer at stage 1…. I was told that if it was even three

months earlier, they wouldn’t have seen it.

It’s because of these amazing machines and the amazing people that

look at the diagnosis or look at the outcome and the pathology that my

pathology now shows no cancer. I’ve just finished my radiation, and I am

one of the very, very lucky few that can say that this experience, if

anything, has actually been a good experience for me, but it’s because

my outcome is so positive.

One day I know that research will find the key to prevention and

to a cure. When I looked around the waiting room at B.C. Cancer, I saw

people of all backgrounds, of all ages, of all genders. I also

understood that behind each one of them there was a family, a child,

that were also scared and concerned about the journey that they were

going through.

A friend of mine years ago told me a story about her own cancer

diagnosis. I think that it’s worth sharing for us to think about this.

When she told her friends and her colleagues at work, she was really

surprised that a number of the people that she expected to reach out to

her didn’t. The reason is because we’re scared. We’re anxious. We’re not

sure what we should say to somebody. We’re not feeling comfortable about

talking about cancer. But please remember that that is the most

important time to reach out and to show your support for someone

else.

[10:15 a.m.]

As we know, there’s a shortage of family care doctors in British

Columbia. There’s also a shortage of radiologists and oncologists. We

hope that more people will go into cancer research as their

career.

I’d like to end by saying three things, and I’ll try to do it in

24 seconds — first, by wishing my dear friend Christina all of my love

and support. I spoke with her only this morning to learn that she is

battling a much more aggressive type of breast cancer and will have a

much more difficult journey than I. So God bless you,

Christina.

I give my sincerest thank-you to the people at B.C. Cancer and the

Canadian Cancer Society and to those people who have committed their

careers to helping people.

I’d also like to thank everyone here in the House and ask that

everyone inside this House, and outside, take time this month to don a

daffodil and to donate to the Canadian Cancer Society.

Deputy Speaker: Thank you very much, Member. It’s great to see you

back.

M. Starchuk: Thank you to the member for West Vancouver–Capilano and that

awesome message. It’s awesome to get these good-news stories. Thank you

for sharing.

I want to stress the point that donations to the Daffodil Campaign

allow researchers to find new ways to treat, identity and

prevent.

I’m going to talk about a profession I used to have. We know that

firefighters deal with high cancer rates, heart issues and operational

stress issues. I was on a Zoom call on March 7, during the British

Columbia Professional Firefighters virtual lobby, when the Premier

announced that they’ll be moving forward to add cancer presumptions for

ovarian, cervical and penile cancers. We will also be lowering the

minimum cumulative period of employment for cancers already covered,

including testicular, colorectal and esophageal.

These are important changes that we’re making better to support

our first responders. Having presumptive language for these

occupationally recognized cancers allows the member and their family to

concentrate on their battle against cancer instead of the battle against

WorkSafeBC.

I assisted the professional and paid on-call firefighters in the

province with their WorkSafe claims for over 20 years, so I know what it

means to have these new additional presumptive cancers, changing the

latency period, and what it means to all firefighters in B.C. It’s

important that the government recognizes the occupational hazards

firefighters face during each tour of duty.

I’d like to tell a personal story on how this touches myself and

my family. The first time I ever walked into a fire hall, Fire Hall 10

in Newton, I visited Ken, Randy, Les and Pat. Ken died of occupational

cancer. Randy died of occupational cancer. Les died due to a heart

condition as a result of his occupation. Pat died of occupational

cancer. I started my career with the same inferior equipment, the same

smoke-eater mentality. I now consider myself a walking, talking, ticking

time bomb.

This Daffodil Campaign please help the people affected by cancer,

and give hope, life with your daffodil donation. Please visit cancer.ca,

and donate. Your donations will fund the research needed to beat this

horrible disease.

UNDERSTANDING AFFORDABILITY

B. Banman: Today I rise to talk about an issue that affects virtually every

single British Columbian. There’s not a single person in this province

that has not felt the effects of the continuous and painful rising cost

of virtually everything.

Well, maybe there’s one person that hasn’t been affected by the

lack of affordability in the province. Just last week the Premier said:

“I don’t understand this affordability stuff….”

Deputy Speaker: If I might, Member…. Member, if I might, I would commend to you

reading the “Nature of Private Members’ Statements” in Parliamentary

Practice in British Columbia . It’s not correct to target

remarks at individuals in this House or groups in this House. It’s not a

partisan time.

B. Banman: Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker.

For the vast majority of people in this province, affordability is

getting out of control. Food prices rose 7.4 percent last month, the

biggest jump in more than a decade. Beef increased a staggering 16.8

percent. Chicken was up 10.4 percent, and dairy products and eggs rose

nearly 7 percent.

[10:20 a.m.]

It’s not just in our grocery stores and gas stations that British

Columbians are paying the price but in affording a home as well. The

average home price in B.C. has surpassed $1.1 million, up 25 percent in

the last year alone. It now takes an estimated 36 years to save for a

down payment on the average house in Vancouver, according to a National

Bank report.

How are young families supposed to survive, let alone get ahead —

or seniors, or students, or those that are on fixed incomes and social

supports? The dream of home ownership or raising a family in a home and

community within their budget is rapidly slipping out of the fingers of

more and more of these individuals and families every day.

During an affordability crisis, a time when life is beyond

unaffordable; when we’re reaching record-breaking prices left, right and

centre; doing too little or too late is just not going to cut it for

them. Giving people a one-time rebate and then claiming it’s paying the

bills shows a true disconnect. People are struggling now, and $110 will

pay for a tank of gas, maybe, but it doesn’t help pay for the bills.

British Columbians soon feel as if they’re being left out.

The supports we give to British Columbians must go to the ones who

need them the most. I can’t tell you how many emails and letters I

received. I was shocked to learn that Tesla and EV drivers are going to

receive the same gas rebate as rural families, who depend on their truck

to get their children back and forth to school or get to and from work

or have to travel a long distance. The money given to the EV drivers

could be better put towards helping families who actually need it —

children, students, seniors and many more.

This one-size-fits-all just doesn’t work. We need to put proper

due diligence in our programs so that people who need government support

don’t face unnecessary barriers and red tape. We need to do

better.

Let’s move on to children, for example. British Columbians were

promised $10-a-day daycare for all.

Point of Order

Hon. S. Malcolmson: Mr. Speaker, can I get your guidance on whether the member is

following this House’s rules for private members’ time?

Deputy Speaker: I understand that would be a point of order.

Just to be clear, you can be strong on policy. You can make arguments.

It’s where it gets to attacking one side or the other…. That’s where we go

over the line.

I think the member has taken my guidance. Thank you.

Debate Continued

B. Banman: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

That policy, that $10 promised for all, soon changed to $20

for some. Child care for school-aged children is being completely

excluded, and parents are still waiting for years for a spot, if

they get one at all. We need to do better.

That’s only one side of the equation when it comes to child

care. The providers that are doing great work in our communities are

also being left between a rock and a hard spot. They are facing

higher costs to operate and a shortage of trained and qualified

staff. The result of that is increased costs to the parents of the

children.

It’s challenging if you consider that most parents must drive

their children to and from daycare. Every trip is a struggle and a

pain at the pumps, whether they go to a soccer practice afterwards

or whether they have to go grocery shopping. British Columbians now

face the highest gas costs in North America, and we need to do

something.

[10:25 a.m.]

We need to do something to help people now. I urge this

government to finally open its eyes and realize that this

affordability crisis is not going away any time soon. We need to

take action now. British Columbians deserve to stay here in British

Columbia. They’re being forced to choose between paying for food or

filling up their tanks. That’s the reality.

I hope that we as a House can wake up and start understanding

that this affordability stuff is important. We need to do something

about it now. People are, on average, within $200 of not being able

to pay their bills. They need help now, Mr. Speaker. As a House, I

think that we can do much better.

J. Sims: It’s a pleasure for me to rise in this House and speak

today.

I think every one of us in this House knows that we are living

through some very difficult and challenging times — from fires to floods

to heat domes; to a COVID pandemic that has hit the world, not just here

in B.C.; and, of course, now a war that is going on in eastern Europe,

in the Ukraine. The world is feeling unstable and on the verge of a

world war. Many times in a day, I think of the impact of all of that on

our human psyche, on us and on our everyday lives.

Let me tell you: COVID disrupted the supply chains. There is no

doubt about that. That affected pricing. We all know that, too. Now that

we have this disability of what’s going on in Europe, that is also

impacting our supply chain. So often, affordability factors are outside.

The impact is coming from outside of the province and outside of the

country as well.

Let me tell you: for many, many families, they have seen our

government, all of us in this House, provide them with support over the

last number of years.

I want to start off with child care. There are many families who

are receiving $10-a-day child care. There are families who are paying

$15 a day right now. There are families who have received money back in

their pockets because of the subsidies that are available.

In my riding, Surrey-Panorama alone, over $13 million has made it

back into the pockets of parents, and that has meant that that money is

being spent locally as well. That does affect affordability, and it does

affect what families can do.

We hear a lot about gas prices. I’m like many of you, when you go

to fill up your tank. You see how much it’s costing, and you go: “Wow.”

Then let us also focus on the oil companies and the corporations. The

carbon tax may go up by 1½ cents, but the gas prices jump by six or

seven cents. That kind of greed, during this period when there is

instability…. Those fluctuations happen. None of us find that

acceptable, and of course, we all want to do something about

it.

I’m proud of the fact that we have an ICBC system that is once

again viable. Not only viable, but people have money back in their

pockets — not just once, not twice, three times. I know that the recent

rebate might seem a bit small, because gas prices have gone up so much.

But we have to remember that it’s not meant to pay for the total gas

price at the pump. It’s the differential. It’s just a little offering to

assist people who are suffering. So let’s look at it in those

lines.

Then I think about the fact that there are other ways that life

has become more affordable over the last number of years. First of all,

people no longer have to pay their MSP premiums. That has meant that

there is more money in people’s pockets to spend on other

things.

[10:30 a.m.]

The fact that kids under 12 no longer have to pay public transit

fees has helped. Those of us who live in Surrey and in the valley, we

know how much families have saved by not having to pay at the tolls

every time they crossed a bridge to come in. So removing of those tolls

also added.

I look at the rental changes that were made, and that also meant

that $1,000 a year less rent is getting paid, and that makes a

difference as well, because of the limits and the caps that were

removed.

One of the things everyone in this room should feel very, very

proud of, and I feel very proud, is that by June we will have the

highest minimum wage, at $15.65, in the country. That makes a

difference.

Seniors received the first lift in decades, not enough, but a $50

lift. That makes a difference to those seniors.

I take a look at the lift that was made to the income assistance.

Let me tell you. That makes a difference.

B. Banman: I thank the member opposite for her comments.

Quite frankly, we can’t accept too little done too late.

British Columbians deserve to be supported and heard now, during

this time. We can’t allow the voices of more and more British

Columbians to be either dismissed or go unheard.

Affordability is an issue that we must tackle as a group

head-on, not with inaction or secret regulations behind closed

doors. All British Columbians need to help during this time and be

part of the solution. This is an issue that is wreaking havoc on our

economy, in our society and in our communities.

I encourage members of this House, for the government, to

spend time outside of this chamber and speak to real, everyday

people in communities like my own in Abbotsford or to the hundreds

of displaced people from Lytton, to the small business owners in

Fort St. John or to those in Vanderhoof or Kitimat, and then maybe

we’ll have a better understanding of this affordability stuff and

what’s going on.

Talk to the families who oppose the autism funding clawbacks.

Talk to the families being pushed to the curb because they can’t pay

their rent, to the families that have to get around in rural B.C.

that do not have rapid transit. Being told to take a bus doesn’t

work for them. Talk to the med students from Abbotsford that have to

commute to UBC because there is no other medical school. Talk to the

high school students who work part-time to have some independence

and maybe help mom and dad, yet then find that half of their

paycheque goes into their gas tank.

Talk to real British Columbians who won’t be getting pay

raises. Then we’ll see if members of this House, this government,

still struggle to understand what all this affordability is all

about. I can assure you that these people — the businesses,

families, suppliers, essential workers — all understand the lack of

affordability all too well. It’s a shame that, at times, they feel

as if their voices are not being heard by this House and this

government.

SIKH HERITAGE MONTH

A. Singh: This month we celebrate Sikh Heritage Month. I’m filled with

gratitude that I’m able to say a few words about that and about the

faith in which I was brought up, and many of my formative principles

find their inspiration.

Sikhs have a long and storied history in our province. It’s a

story that’s intimately tied to the story of this province and its

prosperity, from the day that the first Sikhs, part of a British Army

regiment, landed on the shores of Canada to this day when we have eight

members whose families hail from that spirituality sitting in this

Legislature, in the government.

[10:35 a.m.]

It’s been a long journey, but any story that didn’t start with at

least a cursive look at Sikhi — the religion itself, the spirituality

itself — would be incomplete, so I’ll start there, at the

beginning.

A monotheistic spirituality starting in Punjab with the teachings

of Guru Nanak, the first of ten gurus or teachers in the late 1400s, it

culminated with Guru Gobind Singh’s declaration of a distinct faith at

the harvest festival of Vaisakhi in April. Many of you have witnessed

the monumental celebration of Vaisakhi in the past in Surrey and in

Vancouver. Unfortunately, we don’t have that this year, but looking

forward to celebrating again next year. Sikhi has, as its most basic

concept, equality and respect for all. These translate into gender,

racial and caste equality.

The concept of doing seva , or working for others, lifting

everyone around you with you and not letting anyone be left behind,

defending the rights of those that are most vulnerable to live without

hate and without fear, and with love and courage — these are all

principles that define Sikhi and its spirituality, many concepts that

also align with the principles of the government today.

You see this in times of crisis, where gurdwaras in the

communities, as recently as the floods, have banded together to reach

out and to be of service to the community. These core principles have

led to the resiliency and strength that you find in the community today,

a resiliency and strength tested often in the over 100 years since we

have been here.

The diamond jubilee of Queen Victoria was celebrated in June of

1897 in England. It’s at this time that Sikh regiments from the

Commonwealth procession came to Canada as part of ongoing celebrations.

Popular history records Kesur Singh, a risaldar-major in the British

Indian Army as credited with being the first Sikh settler in Canada. He

was amongst that group of Sikh officers who had arrived in Vancouver on

board the Empress of India in 1897.

The Sikh pioneers originally worked in lumber mills and the

logging industry, as well as on farmlands and with Chinese migrants in

the railway. Unfortunately for these men, their wives, children and

families were not allowed to join them because of restrictive government

immigration policies. A personal note: many of them came via Hong Kong,

which also happens to be my journey.

By 1902, Sikhs were all along the west coast. At that time,

borders were somewhat porous then, and the community had settled along

much of the west coast — Oregon, Washington, all the way to California.

They had formed what is known as a Khalsa Diwan Society, which would

later go on to open the first gurdwara in Vancouver, on 2nd Avenue, in

1908. It would become a gathering place for the community.

As I said, this is very much a story of adversity and resilience.

Initially, very little thought had been given to the Sikhs arriving, but

by 1906, there was increasing racial tension. In March 1907, B.C.

Premier Bowser introduced a bill to disenfranchise all natives not of

Anglo-Saxon parents. That April, Sikhs and other South Asians were also

denied the right to vote. South Asians would be barred from that

political process in Canada for the next 40 years.

It was also in 1907 that the Bellingham riots occurred in

Bellingham, Washington. A mob of 400 to 500 white men, predominantly

members of the Asiatic Exclusion League, rounded up hundreds of Sikh

lumber mill workers, beat them in the streets and then forced them out

of town. Because of the proximity to Canada, to the border, this scene

of violence was repeated in Vancouver just a few days later and became

known as the anti-Asian riots of Vancouver.

Shortly thereafter came the federal regulations of the one

continuous passage journey, but the community was not deterred, and the

Khalsa Diwan Society trudged on to establish gurdwaras all over B.C. In

1911, the Abbotsford, Victoria and Fraser Mills Sikh temples were built,

along with New Westminster and Golden.

The New Westminster gurdwara, being in Queensborough, a part of

the constituency that I represent, had its roots in the Sikh workers who

worked in the Fraser sawmills. Bishan Singh, a worker there, opened up

his home at 344 Boyne Street to hold congregations. Gurdwara Sukh Sagar

is still located adjacent to that site and encompasses it.

That story of resilience is shown Mayo Singh and Kapoor Singh and

their founding of the lumber town of Paldi on Vancouver Island and, of

course, in the voyage of the Komagata Maru and how the

community came together to fight indignities and injustices.

Immigration restrictions were eventually lifted, a lot due to the

part that the Sikh-Canadian soldiers had played in the First World War.

Over the next few decades, in British Columbia especially, the community

grew, mostly working in the logging towns and mills along the Fraser and

on the Island. They continued to fight for enfranchisement and to resist

the racism that they faced. This culminated in South Asians getting the

right to vote on April 2 of 1947, another milestone whose 75th

anniversary we commemorated over the weekend.

It would still take decades before the real fruits of

enfranchisement were realized. They were here in British Columbia with

Moe Sihota being the first Sikh elected to any provincial or federal

parliament, having been elected with the NDP in 1986 and going on to be

the first Sikh cabinet minister in any province in Canada and again with

Sindi Hawkins in the ’90s being elected as the first Sikh woman in the

Legislature in British Columbia.

[10:40 a.m.]

I, along with my other colleagues, am indebted to those that came

before us.

The names and the stories go on, too many to be named here. But if

you want to know more, there are numerous resources out there, including

the Sikh Heritage Museum. Visit their website. It’s an incredible,

incredible resource. There’s also the Ross Street Gurdwara museum —

again, an incredible resource, with lots of photographs and lots of

things to see — and of course, in Abbotsford, the historical Abbotsford

Gurdwara and the museum that adjoins it. There’s some very, very,

incredibly rich history there.

Today what we have in British Columbia is a vibrant community that

is represented from the Lower Mainland to the most remote parts of

British Columbia, where gurdwaras abound; media is available in the

Punjabi language, whether it be radio or television; and Sikhs are

visible in all walks of life. I often wonder what those pioneers that

faced so much adversity would think. I believe that they would be amazed

and proud of the fruits of the steps that they took.

M. de Jong: What a great place to pick it up. What would they think, those

pioneers who arrived in the latter part of the 1800s and the early 1900s

— all of the adversity, all the challenges, all the discrimination —

were they able to stand here today, as the member for

Richmond-Queensborough points out, and look at what the perseverance,

hard work and tenacity has accomplished?

People ask me frequently what the best thing is about this job

that I’ve had for a while. I say it’s the opportunity to

learn.

The example that I generally give is the one that the member and

this House are commemorating today — the opportunity to learn about

Sikhs, Sikhism and Punjab, where the religion was founded and derives

from. I grew up, and live, in a part of the province with a very strong

Sikh heritage, in Abbotsford. As a kid, you’d walk into a friend’s house

and you’d go: “Who is in that picture of that old fellow on the

television set? What is akhand path ? What is that book that

looks like a Bible and is revered?”

The opportunity, over time, to learn about these things and to

learn about the founding of a relatively young religion by Guru Nanak,

walking through northern India, preaching tolerance, equality and belief

in God, at a time when there was great persecution taking place in India

between Islam and Hinduism. Here we are, a religion now of some 30

million or 40 million adherents all over the world, most particularly

here in Canada and in British Columbia.

I’ve been lucky to be able to visit some of these places — the

Golden Temple, the magnificent Golden Temple. The first time I really,

really got a flavour for the essence of Sikhism was in 1999, when I

travelled for the 300th anniversary of the founding of the Khalsa. I

went to Anandpur Sahib, another remarkable place in the world. People

are very fortunate if they get a chance to see it.

The powerful, dramatic story of Sikhs and Sikhism in British

Columbia, as the member has correctly pointed out, commencing with the

arrival of the first pioneers and the terrible ordeal they struggled

with, the discrimination…. The insults and the pejorative terminology,

besides being very insulting, must have been very confusing, because

they weren’t Hindu. To be insulted by reference to a part of the world

that they weren’t from…. They weren’t from Pakistan, mostly — although a

few, certainly, prior to partition, were.

[10:45 a.m.]

Through the perseverance, the re-acquisition of the right to vote

that had been taken away from them…. The member correctly points to the

Komagata Maru , which this House has recognized and

apologized for. Its symbolic value, when one thinks of all of the

individual insults and incidents of discrimination that can’t be

recognized and can’t be apologized for, is representative, in many ways,

of that.

The contribution of Sikhs in this country to two world war efforts

is only now becoming acknowledged in a meaningful way.

The member — I thank him.

I urge others to visit some of these places like the historical

temple, gurdwara, in Abbotsford. Live and breathe the history. Celebrate

a people and a religion that have made such an incredible contribution

to the building of our country.

I began by talking about learning Waheguru Ji Ka Khalsa,

Waheguru Ji Ki Fateh , wondrous teacher. It’s a lesson that we

can all profit by.

A. Singh: Thank you, Member, for that.

With liberalized immigration policy in the 1960s and ’70s, Sikh

immigration grew dramatically and spread across Canada. There are Sikh

communities now in every province in Canada. Canada’s 2011 census showed

Punjabi to be the most spoken immigrant language in this country.

Several Canadian Sikhs have served as federal Members of Parliament, as

cabinet ministers and also as representatives and ministers in several

provincial legislatures, most notably ours.

As I stated earlier, Moe Sihota was the first Sikh to be elected

to a provincial legislature, and then Sindi Hawkins was the first Sikh

woman to be elected to this Legislature. Justice Wally Oppal — the first

Sikh to be a judge of the Court of Appeal.

I wanted to name some of these names: Baltej Singh Dhillon, the

first Royal Canadian Mounted Police officer to be allowed to wear a

turban. Lieutenant-Colonel Harjit Singh Sajjan, becoming the first Sikh

to command a Canadian army regiment in 2011 and then becoming Minister

of Defence.

Sikhs have flourished in Canada and in B.C. in every role, but

there’s still much to do. People often ask me why we celebrate these

months, like Sikh Heritage Month or Black History Month. It’s not only

to commemorate the struggle and achievements of those that have come

before us and to celebrate the community, but central to the concept of

Sikhi is also to carry all of us together and to stand up against

injustice. We may have come a long way, but there is much to

do.

The racism that sparked the Bellingham riots or the discriminatory

practices of the early 1900s did not disappear. It has transformed

itself. As we have seen the erosion of people’s belief in civic

institutions and in science — in fact, largely masterminded and fuelled

by extreme conservative thought — we have seen that racism come to the

forefront, whether it be the rise in anti-Asian hate that we saw in the

pandemic, or the stagnant mumbled hate and open vitriol as we implement

policies to reconcile with this country and this province’s relationship

with Indigenous people.

Whether it’s minor things like a recognition of pre-existing

rights and wildlife management that, from what I understand from my

colleagues, has gotten an incredible amount of hate as a response; or

glass ceilings that still exist for minorities in board rooms or the

judiciary or even in parliament…. Even in parliament here, we celebrate

the rise in diversity. And there has been a rise, and the steps taken

have been great. But looking around, we still do not represent the true

diversity of our province in this House. We commemorate these days and

months so we can be reminded that we have to be ever vigilant to protect

the civil rights of all of us that have been so hard won.

Sikhi is like that. It pushes people to do better — not only to

take care of each other but to stand up with love and courage against

injustice. These are the reasons why we recognize and commemorate these

important days.

RELIEF FOR RENTERS

J. Sturdy: Today I rise to speak to an issue of growing concern, both in my

community and throughout British Columbia, and one that needs to be

addressed across a broad spectrum. Today we’re facing an affordability

crisis in this province, and the cost of renting a home is

skyrocketing.

[10:50 a.m.]

Since 2017, over the term of this NDP government, renters in

British Columbia are, on average, paying $2,856 more per year. In one of

my communities in Squamish, renters have experienced double the average

increase. Since 2017, the average annual rent in Squamish has increased

by an astounding $5,760 per year. Similarly, renters in the Tri-Cities

and the district of North Vancouver are paying $4,500 a year

more.

Principally, we’re facing a supply issue. I have to say, it’s nice

to see that the Housing Minister has finally pivoted away, from evil

foreign buyers to lack of supply….

Deputy Speaker: Member, Member. We are not going to target poisonous attacks on

other members. That’s not part of the rules.

J. Sturdy: It was….

Deputy Speaker: Member, you’ve been here long enough. You know what this time is.

This is not partisan-attack time, targeting individual members with

spurious claims. If you want to make a charge, there are other aspects

in this House to do that. This is not one of them. So I ask you to

please refrain from partisan attacks on individual members of this

House, and follow the rules.

J. Sturdy: I’d like to compliment the Housing Minister on understanding,

appreciating and moving forward on the idea that it’s lack of supply

that is a principal driver on the housing shortage.

The average vacancy rate in British Columbia is 1.4 percent, which

is down 1 percent since last year. In Surrey, the vacancy rate is an

astonishingly low 0.6 percent. In the last year, almost all communities

in the Lower Mainland experienced a decrease in vacancy rates, except

for Maple Ridge, Pitt Meadows and the Tri-Cities, the only communities

to have a vacancy rate above 2 percent — which is astonishingly low as

it is.

With such a limited supply, it’s not surprising that rent has gone

up. UBC professor and housing economist Thomas Davidoff says that the

increase in the vacancy rate is bad news for renters. Davidoff says:

“Usually vacancy rates and rent prices move in opposite directions. When

there are more landlords looking for tenants, they tend to need to lower

rents, and when there are more tenants chasing a small number of

apartments, then rents tend to rise.”

This is basic economics. Prices are sky-high because we have

extremely low supply, while demand continues to increase. We live in an

incredible province, and it’s no wonder that British Columbia attracts

people from across Canada and around the world. However, this increased

demand is putting pressure on our rental housing market. In the last

financial quarter alone, we saw 23,000 people move to this province from

other provinces and countries. We need this migration into B.C., because

it’s integral to addressing our labour shortage and supporting our

provincial economy. However, we must ensure that this talent has a place

to call home.

If we want to encourage young people to build their careers and

establish families in this province, we need to provide alternative or

affordable housing opportunities for them. Without affordable housing,

young British Columbians will take their talent elsewhere and build

their lives where their money will stretch further, so that they don’t

have to spend the majority of their paycheque on rent.

What do we see instead? We get a C grade from the B.C. Rental

Project, because regulations and taxes have driven rental providers out

of the business. B.C. also, unfortunately, has the highest rate of

evictions — one in every ten renters. With such low vacancy rates,

renters facing evictions are finding, increasingly, that they have

nowhere to go.

After they were evicted, Fraser Hamilton and two of his friends

found a three-bedroom home in Vancouver for $3,000 a month. This was

best he could do, since renting alone was simply not realistic. Fraser

says: “I love Vancouver, but a lot of the time it doesn’t feel like it

loves me at all. I would love to stay here for the rest of my life and

to have my own place, but even being able to afford renting a place by

myself seems like a pipedream.”

[10:55 a.m.]

Unfortunately, Fraser is not the only one who feels this way.

While the dream of home ownership is increasingly unattainable, so is

finding an affordable place to rent. Renters need relief today. We need

to improve our rental market so that it’s fair and transparent for both

renters and rental providers. Most importantly, we need action now to

relieve the pressure on our rental housing market. It is not simply

about getting more housing; it’s also about getting the right type of

supply to address B.C.’s affordability crisis.

Low-income households have an even more difficult time finding

affordable housing. The Canada Mortgage and Housing Corp. says that only

one in 1,000 units in Metro Vancouver is affordable to households with

the lowest incomes — one in 1,000. Less than a quarter of purpose-built

market rental units in Metro Vancouver are affordable to households

earning less than $48,000 a year in annual income.

Government continues to say that they’re building more and more

affordable homes, but the numbers suggest that only 5,000 homes have

been completed, out of 114,000 promised. Additionally, the government

has promised a $400 annual renters rebate, multiple times, which has yet

to be seen. Even when we look at that, $400 is — what? — 40 percent of a

bedroom price for one month. To be clear, the renters rebate that should

have materialized is actually just a bit of a stopgap, and it really

won’t solve the problem.

I think we can all agree that British Columbia is a wonderful

place to live. But this comes with the obvious caveat that you need a

home to actually live in. The future of our province rests on this

House’s ability to take action and to support affordable housing

now.

K. Paddon: Good morning. I am very excited to rise to speak to relief for

renters.

When I think of relief for renters, I think of my neighbours in

Chilliwack-Kent. I think of the Facebook posts that I see where people

are looking for roommates or where people are looking for a place

because they’re struggling and having a hard time. I also think of

landlords who are trying to navigate in a way that serves their family

and serves the family that are renting their place.

Folks and families across our community are looking for safe,

comfortable, stable rental homes that they can afford for themselves and

their families. There is no doubt that there is a challenge across the

province with the cost of housing, and that is felt acutely by our

renters.

Helping renters has been and continues to be the priority, I

think, of everyone in this room. That includes building up the supply,

keeping the costs low, improving renters’ rights and working to develop

a renters rebate. Staff in the Ministry of Finance, I know, are

continuing policy development, working on a renters rebate, because we

need to get this right.

While this work proceeds, there has been a lot of work done to

support renters in the immediate term. There was a 2 percent cut from

the maximum annual rent increase allowed in B.C. — a change that is

currently saving families in B.C. about $1,000 a year from what it could

have been without that cut. In March 2021, B.C. also announced a

partnership with the federal government to provide $517 million, over

ten years, to help people in need who aren’t eligible for existing

rental assistance programs.

[J. Tegart in the chair.]

Government has also closed a fixed-term loophole that some

landlords had used to get around rent controls and has added more than

18,000 units back into the rental market through policies like the

speculation and vacancy tax. There have been changes to stop unlawful

renovictions. There has been a strengthening to the financial penalties

for landlords who evict tenants in bad faith, and changes have been made

that give, to tenants who must vacate, four months notice, allowing

additional time to find alternate housing. There’s the creation of a

compliance and enforcement unit to investigate complaints of serious or

repeat offenders in these areas, which can impose monetary

penalties.

[11:00 a.m.]

B.C. was one of the only provinces in Canada to provide direct

supports for renters during the pandemic, offering rent support in the

early stages of the pandemic, a rent freeze in 2020 and 2021, an

eviction ban and a repayment plan that gave people more time to pay

unpaid rent.

The province continues to take action to meet the need for more

rental supply, through a ten-year housing plan by making record-level

investments in new housing that people can afford to rent or buy, with

more than 32,000 new homes underway or complete across the province

after the first four years.

The commitment remains to implement a renters rebate that will

support renters and be income-tested.

There are signs that things are improving. We’re also seeing an

increase in rental units, backed by CMHC data, which can be attributed,

in part, to government’s policies.

The work that has been done is substantial, but there is no doubt

that even with all of these actions, the issue is not solved, and we

cannot let up. As we continue to work and accelerate the commitments, we

know we will continue to see progress.

It’s a challenging topic, Madam Speaker, as I know, like many in

this chamber, I have close friends and family directly impacted by the

cost of renting as well as the rising costs of so many things, which is

why, despite there being no magic wand, I am grateful that we are

tackling affordability on so many fronts at once to offer as much relief

as possible, to remove as many barriers and extra costs as possible, be

it eliminating tolls or eliminating MSP premiums, reducing the cost of

child care, removing interest on student loans, decreasing the cost of

car insurance or increasing different kinds of income.

All of these ways of reducing costs for British Columbians add up

to real, everyday impacts. We aren’t done, and I understand that the

relief can’t come soon enough. I know that my team and I come to work

every day focused on the issue of housing, of rental availability and

costs, and all the opportunities we have to help with affordability so

that British Columbians, my neighbors, can have an affordable place to

call home.

J. Sturdy: Thank you to the member opposite. I think we do all agree that

relief can’t come soon enough.

One of the items that the member mentioned was a capping on rents.

I’m glad she brought that up. While government has capped rent increases

at 1.5 percent for all landlords in British Columbia for last year and

this year, they unfortunately haven’t done the same thing for

themselves. A rent-setting policy for tenants who live on Crown land is

based on a percentage of the assessed value of the property. In the last

year, tenants on Crown land have seen rent increases of up to 300

percent — not 1.5 percent, 300 percent — because of booming property

values in places like the Sea to Sky.

Jennifer Smack from my riding of West Vancouver–Sea to Sky says:

“I have lived on Crown lease land for 18 years. When we moved here in

2003, my annual lease fee was $1,500. Three years ago, because of the

proximity to the booming real estate market in Squamish, my lease fee

went up 266 percent. I don’t understand how government can increase

rents from $8,000 to $20,000 in a single year, especially during a

pandemic.”

It certainly is unfair to Crown land renters, which is why I

continue to push this government and encourage them to tie maximum Crown

land residential lease increases to the same limits that are applied to

every other landlord in British Columbia. The province should be holding

itself to the same standards as it sets for all other

landlords.

There are numerous things that we could do, as well, to make life

more affordable for British Columbians, and certainly, rent

affordability is one of them. We have been, as I mentioned earlier,

promised the $400 annual rent rebate. I’m glad to hear the member talk

about getting it right. After five years, one would hope we could get it

right. Hopefully, we’ll be seeing that shortly, but unfortunately, we

haven’t seen action to date.

According to CMHC, residents of greater Vancouver would have to

work a total of 198 hours per month in order to maintain their housing

costs at 30 percent of income. That means greater Vancouver residents

would need to work an additional 48 hours a month to keep it to 30

percent. In Victoria, it’s an additional 12.6 hours a month, and this is

on top of the already 150 hours that people need to work, which is

what’s considered full-time work.

[11:05 a.m.]

British Columbians cannot keep up, and it is time we as a House

worked together to create solutions now.

Hon. S. Malcolmson: Hon. Speaker, I ask that the House consider proceeding with

Motion 7 standing in the name of the member for

Abbotsford-Mission.

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

with Motion 7 without disturbing the priorities of the motions preceding

it on the order paper.

Leave granted.

Private Members’ Motions

MOTION 7 — GOVERNMENT

PLAN FOR

ECONOMY

P. Alexis: I move:

[Be it resolved that this House support B.C.’s new economic plan and

this Government’s work to build an inclusive, sustainable and innovative

economy that works for people.]

Today I want to acknowledge that I am speaking to you from the

traditional territories of Lekwungen People, the Songhees and Esquimalt

First Nations.

We’re all here with a single purpose. Each and every one of us

wants to make life better for our constituents. Throughout the pandemic,

we have taken care of people, and we’ve learned that by doing so, we

have seen more positive outcomes than negative ones. It only stands to

reason, then, that if we continue along this path of taking care of

people’s needs, our economy can flourish.

Mariana Mazzucato, founder and director of the UCL Institute for

Innovation and Public Purpose said: “Building a stronger and more

productive economy while…tackling social inequalities and…a climate

emergency are not mutually exclusive. Instead, they must go hand in

hand.” I agree. A stronger and more productive economy means building

back better in the Fraser Valley.

The events of 2021 have made us more appreciative of how precious

the valley is to us, and to all British Columbians, for that matter.

Yes, we’re known for our abundant farmlands, but climate change means we

may not be able to rely on the traditional amounts of rain or sun to

grow our food.

Recently we have made changes to the agricultural land regulations

allowing vertical farming as a use on agricultural land. This innovative

process makes use of alternate forms of energy and reduced water to

produce food. B.C. has more than 150 agritech companies, many of which

are in the Fraser Valley. By investing in more innovative practices,

B.C. will be well positioned to become a leader in the agritech sector,

while ensuring provincial food security and protecting the farmland that

really defines places like the valley.

Another feature of the Fraser Valley is the growth we’re

experiencing now. I’m proud to be part of a government that continues to

invest in infrastructure necessary to support that growth, which allows

local economies to prosper.

My community of Mission experienced aging infrastructure, in the

form of a sewer pipe that could have caused a significant environmental

disaster. Can you imagine a catastrophe of this magnitude along with

everything else we endured in 2021?

Fortunately, I am happy to report that on Tuesday, February 22,

the last of the one-kilometer-long pipe was dragged successfully from

Abbotsford to Mission, and the entire project is due to be complete by

next week. The investment from our government means that we can indeed

sustain growth and begin a path of prosperity.

[11:10 a.m.]

Finally, I would like to touch on the necessity of inclusion in

our economic plan. The Fraser Valley is no stranger to a homeless

population.

I’m grateful that this government has made the creation of homes

and supportive services for those needing a helping hand a priority. On

April 1, the Minister Responsible for Housing visited Abbotsford’s

existing supportive homes and shelters, and we discussed the complex

care beds that will be introduced shortly. This new, fully funded

initiative will help those with more than one issue who need attention

and support.

By investing in our most vulnerable populations, true economic

prosperity can be achieved. I’ve touched on the elements of inclusion,

sustainability and innovation as ingredients to a successful economy,

and I have provided local examples. However, I’m positive that this is

not just a local phenomenon.

Our government has used a very simple principle to ensure economic

prosperity.

P. Milobar: I rise to speak to the motion in front of us. I think it’s

important, when we look at the motion, to really break it

down.

There’s the new economic plan. It can be interpreted in several

different ways. It could be the budget that we are currently debating in

these chambers and in other chambers in this building over the next

month and a half or so.

It can also be the plan that was presented by the Jobs Minister

not too long ago. That plan was short on detail, short on measurables

and short on a way to actually see a clear path forward for the private

sector. In fact, that plan’s corner piece of it all was actually a new

building at BCIT. A new building that will actually take five years, at

best, to complete, out of a ten-year plan. A new building that then

would see students go into it who would take another two to three years

to be fully accredited and to be able to join the workforce.

Why that’s important is…. This is supposed to be a plan that’s

addressing the gap of one million jobs over the next ten years in

British Columbia, yet their centrepiece of this plan is something that

the first graduate won’t be out of for seven to eight years from now.

That would be 13 years since this government first took office that we

would see any tangible expansion of training opportunities.

If we look at the economic plan in terms of this existing budget

that we’re debating and the sustainability of things, moving forward,

that simply just doesn’t exist. We have no plan to get out of deficit

spending. You cannot deficit spend forever as a government, any

government. We have no plan…. And the budget backs this up. There was no

plan on that private sector expansion in a meaningful way of

employment.

When you see things in this budget like an expansion of the public

service by 35 percent since this government took office — which now

balloons the public service from 380,000 people to 500,000 people on the

payroll — you start to whittle down who actually has that ability to

generate the tax revenues to pay for everyone.

Now, this isn’t to say that the public sector doesn’t play an

important role and that we don’t need to have public sector employment.

We absolutely do, but it has to be in balance and in sync with what’s

going on in the private sector. The two need to be compatible with each

other.

One would think that over the course of a pandemic, when you hear

that 120,000 public sector jobs have been created…. That’s because it’s

been COVID-related and pandemic-related. Yet we see a net loss of 8,000

health care jobs in that same time frame. We were not hiring. We were

not putting a net benefit into the health care system in the middle of a

pandemic. We were hiring everywhere but that.

When I see the motion talking about a sustainable and innovative

economy, unfortunately both on the plan that was released by the Jobs

Minister and the budget that is supposed to interconnect the two…. Let’s

remember that the budget is over the next three years — which they

presented, their spending plan. That’s government’s idea of how they’re

going to move forward. There just simply is a disconnect between what

the government, once again, is saying in words and what they’re actually

delivering in practice.

[11:15 a.m.]

That really comes to the core of it all. The inability to actually

deliver what is being talked about by this government is shocking. The

government will continue to talk about 30,000 of their housing units,

but they always make sure there’s the caveat of “underway” — not

actually having people living in them. People looking for a home

actually need a home to live in, not a theoretical house that might be

built sometime in the future.

There are only 5,000 housing units in five years that actually

have people living in them; 2,000 of those were actually started under

the B.C. Liberals. This government has actually built and has people

living in 3,000 homes in five years in a ten-year housing plan. That’s

simply not good enough.

Same with child care, $10-a-day child care for a sustainable

economy. It’s nowhere to be found. Six years later, six budgets later,

it’s now doubled in price, not for all the spaces. It’s built solely on

a truckload of federal dollars being pumped into the system, not the

provincial initiative.

The words always sound great out of this government. The

deliverable, the execution, is sorely lacking, and it has for five

years, six budgets now. So as much as I would love to see a sustainable

plan and an actual way forward, we don’t actually see that happening in

practice. That’s why it’s disappointing, to say the least, when we see

these plans come forward with no discernable direction

forward.

R. Glumac: It was great to hear from the opposition. Their economic plan,

once again, seems to just be: “Cut services.” That’s just not good

enough.

Our economic plan has two main goals. It’s inclusive growth and

clean growth. It takes on the challenges of tackling inequality, of

tackling the challenge of meeting our climate commitments and leads all

of British Columbia to a positive, sustainable future.

It achieves this through six missions. They’re called missions

because they’re in reference to Mariana Mazzucato’s book, Mission

Economy: A Moonshot Guide to Changing Capitalism . Mariana is a

world-respected economist and has worked with our government in drafting

this economic plan. In this book, she argues that the greatest

challenges of our time need to be taken on with the same bold and

inspirational approach as the moon landing.

The first three missions that we’re talking about regarding

inclusive growth are (1) supporting people and families, (2) building

resilient communities and (3) advancing true, lasting and meaningful

reconciliation with Indige­nous peoples. These three missions set

a number of key actions.

As we know, over the next ten years, there will be an estimated

growth in jobs in this province of over one million jobs. To fill these

jobs, our government is adding 2,000 new tech seats to our

post-secondary institutions. We’ll create more programs to support

workers, First Nations and communities through economic transition;

provide more graduate scholarships; expand training for health care

workers; and, also, build a $140 million, world-class trades and

technology complex at BCIT.

We’ll also be accelerating investments to connect rural

communities to high-speed Internet so that all communities in B.C. can

get access to the same digital economic opportunities. With 98 percent

of all businesses in B.C. being small businesses, we are also developing

a small business diversity and inclusion action plan. To help ensure

that our investments in economic growth are grounded in reconciliation,

we’re co-developing an Indigenous-led agency focused on Indigenous

economic development.

The final three missions are related to clean growth. The first

one: meeting B.C.’s climate commitments. The second: leading on

environmental and social responsibility. And the third: fostering

innovation across our economy. Together, these three missions set

actions to strengthen growing areas of our economy.

B.C., as we know, is a world leader in mass timber and has more

mass timber buildings per capita than any place in North America. Our

government is strengthening this opportunity by creating a mass timber

action plan.

We’re also establishing an ESG centre of excellence to promote

environmentally friendly and socially responsible goods.

B.C.’s fast-growing life sciences sector is another leading sector

that employs over 17,000 people. Our government will further strengthen

B.C. as an international life sciences hub through the creation of a

life sciences and biomanufacturing strategy.

Also, manufacturing is B.C.’s second-largest contributor to GDP

for goods-producing industries and employs over 167,000 people. Our

government will grow this sector through the creation of an industrial

and manufacturing action plan.

[11:20 a.m.]

Our government will also establish integrated marketplaces to help

connect local clean tech companies to fulfil the needs of other B.C.

companies. To help move goods as efficiently as possible across the

province, our government will develop a goods-movement

strategy.

Our agriculture, seafood and processing sectors employ more than

64,000 people. With the creation of an agritech sector of excellence,

B.C. can become a world leader by helping companies in these sectors

scale up.

Finally, to help identify new trading opportunities and pivot away

from single markets, our government will develop a trade diversification

strategy.

The StrongerBC economic plan is bold and it’s far-reaching. It

sets a bright path for a clean economy that works for everyone in

British Columbia, and I’m proud to support that path forward.

C. Oakes: A goal without a plan is just a wish. A roadmap without

coordinates leaves you driving in circles. The NDP’s so-called economic

plan, which took five years to get us to this point, is an obvious

example of just this.

At the cornerstone of any economic development plan should be a

workforce readiness tied to labour forecast. As members of this House

have mentioned, there will be nearly one million job openings in the

next decade, with over 80 percent of those jobs requiring some kind of

post-secondary education.

The NDP economic plan talks about these new actions that are being

taken by the government. I heard from the member just now about all of

these plans that are coming forward.

Here’s a plan that should have been the foundation of the economic

plan, the Future Ready: Skills for the Jobs of Tomorrow plan, mentioned

in this really lovely, colourful brochure. But here’s what the

government did not announce: this jobs plan isn’t actually completed.

Another detail that the government has failed to share is the fact there

has actually been no additional operating funding put into the

post-secondary education sector.

We have an economic plan based on a Skills for the Jobs of

Tomorrow plan — which, to be clear, five years in to a ten-year plan, is

still not complete — and there is no additional money for operating in

the budget to actually support the operations of our post-secondary

education institutions to fulfil those job openings, which we all know

will be needed.

All signs of this roadmap are deeply troubling. Under the NDP,

British Columbia has not only become more and more unaffordable…. Let us

talk about this economic plan, which has left young people, who can no

longer afford rent, let alone buy a house…. Metro Vancouver has the

lowest vacancy and highest rents of any metropolitan area in Canada with

at least one million people, but the government’s promised renter rebate

is nowhere to be found.

Kind of like those tech seats that the member opposite was talking

about. We keep hearing these seats being announced, but unless you can

actually put somebody in a seat that is actually created…. What is

that?

Housing supply also hits a record low, and the average home price

in B.C. has surpassed $1.1 million, up 25 percent in 2021

alone.

Parents can’t afford accessible or affordable child care despite

promise, year after year, by this government of universal $10-a-day

child care. In fact, the government has made it cost prohibitive for

private sector child care providers, which deliver half of the total

child care spaces in British Columbia, to operate, purely based on

ideology. Families end up paying the price for this.

Communities across this province, and commuters, are faced with

the highest gas prices and the highest gas taxes in North America. The

government’s so-called $110 relief plan is not even enough to cover one

tank of gas for a minivan.

Let us talk about our health care sector, the health care sector

which is on the verge of collapse. We’ve heard, time and time again,

people desperately calling for more support for our health care sector.

One would imagine that a government — and it would be a part of the

economic plan — would understand the need to be investing in the

training of health care professionals.

As part of the NDP election platform — another flashy, lovely,

colorful brochure — they said that they would build a medical school in

Surrey. So where is it? Where is the plan? Where is the budget to build

that medical school in Surrey?

[11:25 a.m.]

How do any of us attract people into our province and into our

communities if we do not even have basic services? This government has

lost touch with reality and the challenges that real people are facing

today. They keep patting themselves on the back, being a champion of

everything but delivering on very little. This government has not shown

the leadership that families, workers and small businesses need to cope

with the fundamental changes brought to the economy by the

pandemic.

I do agree on one thing — that of all British Columbia’s many

advantages, our most important asset is its people. It is clear from

this plan that the people of B.C. have been abandoned by the NDP

government. Making promises is not the same as making

progress.

Stop making life more unaffordable. To the NDP, come up with a

real economic plan.

B. Anderson: I’m happy to speak in support of this motion today.

For too long, governments have been focusing exclu­sively on

economic indicators like GDP, which merely measures the size of the

economy and misses out on how the economy is impacting the environment

and how it is working for people. Today members of the United Nations

Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change presented the third and final

part of the most definitive assessment of the climate crisis, focusing

on how to mitigate its effects. The future is bleak unless we

decarbonize our economies quickly. There are no jobs on a dead

planet.

Our CleanBC Roadmap to 2030 and our StrongerBC plan provide a

framework to create a low-carbon economy that works for everyone. The

province will continue to measure and report on GDP, and, starting with

our StrongerBC plan, we will also measure internationally recognized

well-being indicators like affordable housing, post-secondary training

and poverty reduction, as well as GHG emissions.

Rural communities are critical to the economic success of British

Columbia. Traditionally, the economy of the Kootenays has primarily been

resource-based — forestry, mining and agriculture. While resource

extraction still represents a component of rural economies, they are

diversifying. Diversification helps to manage volatility and to provide

a more stable path for equitable growth and development.

The Creston Valley is the agricultural hub of the Kootenays. Our

government invested half a million dollars into the development of

Creston’s food hub. The food hub will increase locally made, value-added

food and beverage options, benefiting the people, helping the region’s

producers expand and creating local employment. Our government is

partnering with local organizations to leverage the community’s

potential so that they can thrive and be resilient.

I am delighted that B.C. is the first province to explicitly

incorporate regenerative agriculture into its food and farming policies.

Regenerative agriculture encompasses practices that support soil health,

sequester carbon, reduce erosion, help buffer the impacts of extreme

weather and also reduce the need for fertilizers and pesticides, while

producing healthier crops with higher levels of phytochemicals and

micronutrients. Regenerative agriculture is the future.

For too long, we have allowed logging companies to log

unsustainably. Our government is committed to a paradigm shift in

forestry to ensure that the forestry industry is sustainable for

generations to come while protecting critical ecosystems and preserving

old-growth forests.

In the Kootenays, logging has always been a part of the economy.

However, diversification and innovation are key. Kalesnikoff, which is a

multigenerational family-owned business, has recently completed North

America’s most advanced vertically integrated multispecies mass timber

facility. Through their state-of-the-art plant, they are innovating

traditional building practices and revolutionizing construction methods

in North America.

By replacing steel and concrete for sustainable wood products in

construction, we can move our society towards a low-carbon future. Their

mass timber products can be seen in buildings across North America,

including universities, child care spaces and housing, like the newly

built SHARE affordable housing complex in Nelson, which received funding

through B.C. Housing. Organizations like Kalesnikoff are helping to

ensure our economy is strong, diverse, resilient and

sustainable.

[11:30 a.m.]

The pandemic highlighted that access to Internet speed is critical

to ensure people can access health care, continue working, attend

classes and connect with loved ones. In rural B.C., only 40 percent of

rural communities and 38 percent of Indigenous communities have access

to high-speed Internet. Through the connecting British Columbia program,

our government is improving connectivity in communities like Boswell,

Argenta and Ymir. Access to high-speed Internet is critical to helping

rural communities diversify their economies.

The Kootenays has become a rural tech hub. The Kootenay

Association for Science and Technology, established in 1998, developed

the Nelson Innovation Centre, and last week we announced that the

village of Kaslo received a provincial grant of nearly $1 million for

their innovation centre. We’re attracting tech businesses in the

Kootenays like Traction on Demand. Tech businesses would not be able to

establish themselves in rural areas like Nelson if not for the

connectivity that our government is investing in. Connectivity is

critical to helping rural communities diversify their

economies.

In closing, rural communities across British Columbia are

benefiting from….

Deputy Speaker: Thank you, Member.

M. Bernier: It’s, I think, an honour to stand today, but I’m a little

surprised with the motion that was put forward into this House by the

NDP members. I mean, look, they want to talk about the new economic

plan, but the main question would be: what plan?

When we look at what this government has put forward right now,

it’s basically giving no direction, no forward-looking opportunities for

the province of British Columbia. In fact, I know we’re not allowed to

use props, but looking through a copy of B.C.’s economic plan, I think

the plan itself is really just a prop. It’s not a plan. When you look at

it, it doesn’t really talk about growing the province. It doesn’t talk

about the future of what we need.

This government has stood up and said they’re going to be running

deficit after deficit after deficit in this province. The Minister of

Finance has stood up and said it could take up to ten years before this

NDP government finds their way back to trying to balance a budget. The

way you balance a budget, the way you grow the economy is by making sure

you have stability, that you have confidence in the province so people

will invest, so people will come here, so people will thrive, so people

will make sure that we have family-supporting jobs.

Hardly anywhere in the economic plan do we see this government

talk about what actually builds the province. There’s really nothing in

there around forestry. There’s nothing in there around oil and

gas.

Interjection.

M. Bernier: The member can laugh. If he wants to point to where it’s in

there…. Even the minister himself and the NDP have talked about the fact

that they’re attacking forestry, that they’re going to be losing jobs

and that mills will be shutting down.

I looked through this, as well, to look for where we really will

be highlighting the agricultural sector for rural British Columbia. Up

in my region, we have almost 50 percent, in the Peace region, of the ALR

land in this province — nothing in the economic plan that’s going to

help grow and support and sustain an economic industry for rural British

Columbia.

We look at the oil and gas sector, something that has been

paramount in helping grow this province. We all look at the paintings in

the rotunda of all of these resource sectors that have built this

province and which help us build hospitals and schools and

infrastructure. If we do not have a plan, if we do not have a way to

support these industries, we will not have the resources needed to grow

our province.

If we look right now, we have billions and billions of dollars,

which have been publicly announced, that are being removed from British

Columbia and going to Alberta and the United States. Almost every single

company says it’s because they do not have confidence in British

Columbia — in the investments in this area.

A plan without substance is nothing. We have seen British

Columbia, over the last five or six years, become the worst jurisdiction

in North America when it comes to affordability. This government has

talked about all these glossy promises of how they’re going to fix this,

and they have done nothing.

[11:35 a.m.]

Renter’s rebate — disappeared. Rent skyrocketed to the point where

it is actually the highest it has ever been. We have the worst housing

market now in all of North America. You look at the average price of a

home in the Lower Mainland — average price — it’s exceeded now about

$1.2 million, just for an average home. And this government has done

nothing. When you look at rent going up by almost $3,000 a year, this

government has done nothing.

To have a motion in front of the House asking us to support this

new economic plan that they have…. It’s pretty hard to support something

that is actually not going to do anything to help people, to make life

more affordable, to instill confidence in investors in the province of

British Columbia.

The members need to put something in front of this House that

actually shows some direction, actually shows some leadership and shows

why this House should support something. That’s not in this plan. That’s

why as the opposition, it is our job to make sure we continue

highlighting all of the failures of this government and the reason why

the people of British Columbia are struggling and only $200 away from

being able to pay their bills each month. That’s not the province that

we should be bragging about, and this government needs to do

better.

J. Brar: I’m pleased to rise in this House today to support the motion

introduced by the member for Abbotsford-Mission that this House support

B.C.’s new economic plan and this government’s work to build an

inclusive, sustainable and innovative economy that works for everyone.

People of British Columbia deserve an economic plan that tackles the

challenges of today, while growing an economy that works for

everyone.

I have seen the critique from the members from the other side, but

under the B.C. Liberals, B.C.’s economy was only working for the top 1

percent wealthy and well-connected people. Kevin Falcon and the B.C.

Liberals gave massive tax breaks to the top 1 percent and forced others

to pay for those tax breaks by cutting services people depend on and by

increasing MSP premiums, B.C. Hydro rates, ICBC rates, tuition fees. And

the list goes on.

Let me give you some facts. As Finance Minister, in 2012, Kevin

Falcon increased car insurance rates by 11 percent. As Transportation

Minister, he put tolls on the Port Mann Bridge and Golden Ears Bridge,

costing families up to $1,500 a year. Now Falcon says removing the toll

bridge was “terrible public policy.” He also increased MSP premiums by 6

percent when he was Health Minister in 2010 and by 4 percent when he was

Finance Minister in 2012. And the list goes on.

Our StrongerBC plan is to build an economy that works for

everyone, because an economy built for everyone is an economy built to

succeed. It builds off our strong economic recovery and moves B.C.

forward by setting out to tackle two of our biggest challenges at this

time: inequality and climate change. Our government understands that

people are the economy and that growing the economy cannot mean leaving

people behind.

Today B.C. is a national economic leader, and our StrongerBC plan

provides a framework to create a low-carbon economy that works for

everyone. As a first step in this plan, the province is investing $136.6

million to build a new state-of-the-art trades and technology complex at

BCIT Burnaby campus. The new campus will ensure future students have

access to the best tools, instructions and equipment needed to meet the

demand for an estimated 85,000 new trades jobs expected over the next

ten years.

[11:40 a.m.]

Along with this complex building at BCIT, other key actions under

this plan include training British Columbians to succeed in the jobs of

tomorrow, accelerating the timeline to connect all B.C. communities to

high-speed Internet, creating opportunities for underrepresented

entrepreneurs, expanding domestic manufacturing capa­bilities and

building more resilient B.C. businesses by expanding access to global

markets.

This plan is built with the belief that an economy can grow and

thrive while investing in two core issues of this time: inequality and

climate change. Members from the other side have been speaking, and I

just want to say — I understand I have been here for a long time — the

B.C. Liberals’ economic plan always has been to give more and more to

the wealthy and well-connected, believing that the wealthy and

well-connected will make life more affordable for the people of British

Columbia. That is what their economic plan has been. Give me a break. It

didn’t work before. It is not going to work again.

R. Merrifield: Over the weekend, I had the honour of attending an event hosted by

Peter Boyd at Your Independent Grocer, raising funds with Maple Roch and

the Red Cross for aid efforts in Ukraine.

As Peter and I were talking, he spoke of how price-conscious his

shoppers have become over the course of the last six months — in

particular, but over the course of the last few years — how they were

having to buy less, because they simply couldn’t afford it, and his

efforts to put those less-expensive items at the highest-seen shelves to

help people during this really difficult time.

The cost of living is a huge concern, which is why we need and, as

the member for Surrey-Fleetwood said, we deserve a strong economic plan

now more than ever. A strong economy will have a high rate of economic

growth. But B.C. is predicted to fall from first to third this year in

growth, while it will also have low and stable inflation, which we all

know B.C. does not have. And it will also have low unemployment. But

this is propped up right now by public sector jobs adding $11 billion of

costs to the taxpayer every single year in B.C.

What other aspects of a strong economy should there be? Rising

exports, improved productivity, increased investment. This one is

interesting, because the RBC provincial forecast has B.C., right now,

sixth out of ten provinces in new investment dollars. It will also have

falling government borrowing.

What does a strong economy do? Why do we deserve a strong economy?

Well, because it gets higher average incomes with better standards of

living; lower unemployment; lower government borrowing; improved public

services with higher economic growth, leading to higher tax revenues,

which enables the government to spend more on public services, such as

health care and education, but without going into further

debt.

Money can also be spent on protecting the environment. With higher

economic growth, a society can devote more resources to promoting

recycling, the use of renewable energy.

It also promotes investment. Higher investment increa­ses

the scope of future economic growth, creating a virtuous cycle of

economic growth and investment.

A great and strong economy also increases research and

development. High economic growth leads to profitability for firms,

enabling more spending on research and development. This can lead to

technological breakthroughs, such as improved medicine and greener

technology. Also, sustained economic growth increases confidence and

encourages firms to take risks and innovate.

Economic development. The biggest factor for promoting economic

development is sustained economic growth. Ultimately, a strong economy

creates a decline in absolute poverty.

[11:45 a.m.]

These are the reasons that we don’t just want a strong economy, we

need a strong economy. The private sector should be the engine of growth

and innovation, while the public sector should create the stable

circumstances for these businesses to thrive. But instead, this

government is doing the exact opposite and killing businesses with a

death of 1,000 cuts through taxation increases, increased uncertainty,

increased costs and increased bureaucracy.

Bridgitte Anderson, the CEO of the Greater Vancouver Board of

Trade, said: “The pandemic has been challenging, especially for small

and medium-sized firms struggling with lower sales, increased debt and

higher costs. We believe a long-term economic strategy also needs to

focus on tax reform, regulatory policies and the overall cost of doing

business — issues the business community has long

championed.”

How is this plan from the NDP the answer for that? There’s a lot

of planning to plan in the plan. We’ve waited five years for the NDP

government to plan to plan or recycle strategies and statements from

before. Where’s the action on small and medium-sized businesses? Where’s

the reduction of red tape? Where is the reduction of taxes? Where is the

child care to support a labour force? How about a housing plan that

works to increase business competitiveness? How about, instead of moving

in a direction that actually makes sense, we help those businesses in

need? Instead, this is taking us to economic oblivion.

K. Greene: There is a lot of change underway in the world, and the pace of

change is accelerating. There are global trends driving this change:

technology, inequality and climate change.

With respect to climate change, it is recognized that we need to

transition to net zero by 2050, just 28 years from now. Globally,

capital shifts to sustainable businesses are accelerating, because

investors see the risk to their funds if climate change progresses

unchecked. There are no jobs on a dead planet. The investment community

has an expectation that soon, corporations will have to disclose climate

risks and mitigation plans on their regularly filed disclosures, and as

a result, they’re seriously evaluating their business models to find

climate solutions.

Technological changes can have profound impacts on entire

industries. Think for a moment about what has happened to camera film or

telephone operators. British Columbia can be positioned well to take

advantage of these major changes, or be left behind. Adapting and

embracing change is the path to success, because change is an

opportunity to do things better.

Traditionally, women and other equity-deserving groups are not

included in new economic opportunities when there is technological

change. Remember those telephone operators? We are making deliberate

plans in StrongerBC to be inclusive, so there is economic opportunity

for all.

The economy has to work for everyone, not just make the extremely

wealthy even more wealthy. That’s why it’s important to measure the

success of our plan with indicators beyond GDP, because success isn’t

limited to economic value alone. Traditional measures of the economy

will be supplemented with well-being indicators like affordable housing,

post-secondary training and poverty reduction.

More and more governments around the world are measuring economic

progress using a broad range of social, environmental and economic

metrics. For example, OECD produces the Better Life initiative, and it’s

based on 11 key indicators to compare the well-being of countries. The

United Nations created a blueprint for a more sustainable future for

all, and it includes 17 sustainable development goals that can be

adopted for use at city, territorial or national levels. New Zealand’s

national budgets now include indicators to measure

well-being.

For those who are not familiar, ESG stands for environmental,

social and governance. Applying ESG standards is good for society —

there are benefits for us all — and also helps reduce economic risk,

because activities which have the potential to harm the people, the

planet or shareholders are avoided.

The world is facing considerable challenges: unequal economic

benefit, climate change and rapid technological change. To meet the

challenges facing society today, StrongerBC is aligned to support

inclusive growth, so that everyone can benefit from a growing economy,

and clean growth so that we can have a healthy economy for generations

to come.

[11:50 a.m.]

To enjoy inclusive growth, we need to reduce barriers to

participation, as in our StrongerBC economic plan. Women and families

benefit from quality, lower-cost and accessible child care and better

wages for early childhood educators.

All equity-deserving groups benefit from raising the minimum wage,

good apprenticeships and more post-secondary seats in high-demand

fields. StrongerBC includes support for Indigenous post-secondary

institutes and skills training, and we’re already making tremendous

progress connecting rural and Indigenous communities to high-speed

Internet.

The tragedy of the commons is something that I think about quite

often. It describes how the benefit of the commons, a pasture, accrue to

individuals with their healthy livestock. But the negative effects, the

degradation of the pasture from overgrazing, accrue to society.

Eventually, the degraded pasture doesn’t even support the individuals

who originally profited.

The old way of doing business is that negative effects are

externalities and not included in a company’s statements, but really,

environmental degradation and social costs affect us all. We just can’t

afford the old way of doing business. ESG priorities ensure holistic

action on the things that matter and measure progress accordingly. What

gets measured gets done.

StrongerBC is a comprehensive and transformative economic plan and

dovetails with CleanBC to ensure a thriving economy for our province’s

future. I support this motion because our economic plan ensures that

British Columbians will see the benefit of the transition to new

opportunities. Most importantly, families across B.C. will benefit from

a sustainable economy that is inclusive and works for them, not just

those at the very top.

T. Stone: I’m pleased to rise today to speak to this motion which actually

sounds good when you read it on paper. Obviously, as businesses continue

to cope with the negative impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, I think all

British Columbians would expect that government would deliver a plan

that builds an economy that works for all British Columbians.

That’s certainly what we, as the opposition, were hoping for as

well, but that’s not what we have seen from this government. That’s not

what we see in their so-called economic plan. As many of my colleagues

that have spoken before me here this morning have indicated, it’s a plan

that does not address the significant increase in the cost of living

that British Columbians are struggling with, those affordability

challenges, largely exemplified in housing, gas prices, grocery costs

and so forth.

It’s certainly not a plan to address investor confidence and what

more government can do with the levers and the policy options it has to

attract more investment here to British Columbia. It certainly is an

economic plan that doesn’t speak to tax relief for struggling small

businesses. It’s a plan that really doesn’t focus on getting British

Columbia back to a balanced budget at any point, not even within a

ten-year time frame at this point. Speaking as someone with a background

in business, I can certainly say that this is not a recipe for success,

for long-term durable growth.

How do we monitor and measure the plan’s success over time if

there are no targets and outcomes? Previously, the member for

Richmond-Steveston referred to it: “What gets measured gets done.” The

problem is: there are no measurements in this economic plan. We’re

starting to wonder if this government deliberately leaves them out

because they know they won’t achieve them. This is a government that

seems intent on recycling old promises or making plans to make more

plans — again, plans for plans. That’s certainly exemplified in this

so-called economic plan.

Back in February, Fiona Famulak, the president and CEO of the B.C.

Chamber of Commerce said: “The government’s plan lacks the detail of how

the desired outcomes will be delivered, along with the costs associated.

Until more information is made available, StrongerBC is an aspirational

vision.” I couldn’t agree more.

Just last Thursday — this is interesting — Prof. Mariana Mazzucato

released her report on the government’s economic plan. Now, I’ll remind

this House that when the government brought in Ms. Mazzucato on board as

an adviser, the Jobs Minister said: “Your theories and approaches to

economic development align with those of our government.” So imagine our

surprise when Professor Mazzucato levelled some pretty serious criticism

at the government, with one of her main concerns being that their

economic plan doesn’t include concrete targets.

[11:55 a.m.]

Her report, again, from last Thursday, said: “It is vital that

concrete targets and objectives are attached to each mission area to

ensure that success or failure can be monitored and assessed.” She went

on further to say: “An important next step for B.C. will…be to turn the

existing mission areas into concrete missions with well-defined targets”

— that are measurable and time-bound — “to ensure that progress can be

monitored effectively.” She also said: “A siloed approach to

policy-making continues to stifle cross-sectoral innovation and limit

progress towards tackling grand challenges.”

[Mr. Speaker in the chair.]

This is the adviser that this government brought in at great cost;

$350,000 of taxpayers’ money to bring this adviser in, and this is what

she had to say about this government’s economic plan. The question now

becomes: will this government listen and make the adjustments needed to

better assure British Columbians that rebuilding and growing our economy

is a priority? Frankly, I’m not that optimistic that that will

happen.

When it comes to listening, this government’s track record speaks

for itself, whether it’s making sudden changes, seemingly out of

nowhere, to individualized funding for children with support needs; not

listening to the slew of businesses or business organizations and

municipalities that want to see tax relief — the split-assessment tax

relief being one example; or creating InBC — the government’s

half-billion-dollar high-risk venture capital scheme that’s not subject

to FOI, that has no business plan, no investment criteria, no scorecards

and will report out on progress every five years; or numerous pieces of

legislation that are light on detail, with decisions made later in

regulation rather than being debated thoughtfully in this

House.

I could go on and on, but I’m running out of time. If there ever

was a time for this government to start listening, it would be now. This

government should listen to the chorus of voices urging government to

ensure its economic plan is updated with concrete targets, so progress

can be monitored and measured. Imagine that, Mr. Speaker.

R. Russell: On Friday, as I drove through the flood-ravaged farms near

Princeton, I found myself thinking about: what is important to the kids

in the back seat of my car? What’s important to the farmers whose wheel

lines were tangled and twisted with trees and debris from November’s

floods? Thinking about the books of yesterday’s boom-bust development

were balanced, with financial and envi­ronmental costs on today’s

shoulders.

We’ve heard two different takes on economic development in this

House today. One sees the few profit at the expense of the well-being of

many. The other, as we’ve heard from this side of the House, is a

version of economic development that makes sense to people, looking at a

vision for our future that is steeped in financial successes that expand

and bolster inclusion, financial successes that support thriving rural

communities, financial successes that are rooted in actions that improve

the health of the envi­ronment around us and support the

environment that supports us.

In corporate worlds, the recognition of what matters to

shareholders, and in this case, what matters to the people of British

Columbia, is called ESG, environmental, social and governance. To boil

it down, it means that when we set a vision for what success means to us

in our economic plan, we look at all the factors that matter to us as

humans: our pocketbooks, no doubt, but also our health, our

envi­ronment and our social vibrancy.

Decades ago acquiring data was a limiting factor. In that world,

GDP was a great proxy for development success. Now, capacity to filter

and analyze the data around us is the bottleneck. We can estimate what

really matters in our economic systems, not simply the cash that trades

hands but also proper indicators of our collective well-being. This

matters because, presumably, all of us in this House care about

development because of a shared desire to improve well-being.

Capital is critical to growth. I think we all also agree on that.

The lens that we take on that capital may differ. In my past work, I

learned how some economists recognize a much broader suite of capital

types, not just financial and built capital but also the role of natural

capital, social capital and human capital. In this context, it’s easier

to see that if our economic vision is forward-thinking and good for

British Columbians, then it can’t rely on balancing the books of

financial capital by eroding social, human and environmental

capital.

Even more exciting than that, we see that indeed there are

synergies between these forms of capital. If we are able to provide more

support for growth of our social, human and natural capital, we see

growth in financial and built capital and, most importantly, sustainable

growth that benefits the many, rather than providing the few with more

at the expense of many.

How are we doing? As the member opposite pointed out earlier,

we’re number one in the country. That probably speaks pretty well to how

we’re doing so far. There are too many examples to do justice in the

time I have left. Look at projects like InBC, just mentioned — a

strategic investment corporation investing in B.C. businesses with a

focus on triple bottom line.

[12:00 p.m.]

Or agriculture, the ministry’s work on food hubs, Feed B.C.,

spin-off business development that brings increased economic multipliers

with more dollars being spent in our rural communities. Increased food

security, increased food safety, resilience and resilient farm economies

and environmental health, because these producers in our small

communities are rooted in place.

Or mining. As the minister mentioned in this House in February, we

have international CEOs referring to B.C. as a tier 1 jurisdiction to

invest in because of our regulatory regime and the stability created by

our respect for envi­ronmental and Indigenous rights. Look at the

growth we’ve seen recently in the mining sector to support clean tech

mineral development in B.C.

Or forestry. We’re witnessing a shift from volume driving our

decisions to value. Mass timber, as an example pointed out earlier…. We

get jobs and money and consume less to get us there. Structurlam in the

South Okanagan or in Kalesnikoff, as mentioned — these are good

professional jobs in a growing sector.

Or landscape-level planning, reducing the risk of cumulative

impacts taking us across our environmental tipping point, improving our

ecosystem’s ability to soak up freshet. Floods may be great for GDP, but

they are devastating and awful for real people. We’re showing how

investments in natural capital and respect can boost financial

capital.

Our Parliamentary Secretary for Non-Profits, our Parliamentary

Secretary for Gender Equality, our Parliamen­tary Secretary for

New Economy, our Parliamentary Secre­tary for Technology — these

are the kinds of huge opportunities for rural B.C., by helping build the

scaffolding that allows people and communities to thrive.

Just this morning, while touring the Point Hope shipyards, the

owner there spoke explicitly about his work to avoid the feast-famine

dynamic of business development so that their company could provide

household-supporting, good jobs now and in the future. That’s good

development for B.C.

Dr. Jane McGonigal, a bright mind in game design, put it well in

their work: “We want to see a virtuous feedback cycle, an upward

spiral.” This is what our economic vision looks forward to and helps

build for B.C., an upward spiral for the people of B.C. That’s what

we’re working to support with this economic plan.

R. Russell moved adjournment of debate.

Motion approved.

Hon. S. Malcolmson moved adjournment of the House.

Motion approved.

Mr. Speaker: This House stands adjourned until 1:30 p.m. today.

The House adjourned at 12:02 p.m.

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