Fourth Session, 42nd Parliament

(2023) OFFICIAL REPORT

OF DEBATES

(HANSARD)

Wednesday, February 22, 2023

Afternoon Sitting

Issue No. 272

ISSN 1499-2175

The HTML transcript is provided for informational purposes only.

The PDF transcript remains the official digital version.

CONTENTS

Routine Business

Tributes

Curtis Andrew Tablotney

H. Yao

Introductions by Members

Personal Statements

Service to Legislature and experience as First Nations MLA

Hon. M. Mark

Hon. D. Eby

T. Stone

A. Olsen

Introductions by Members

Introduction and First Reading of Bills

Bill M208 — Crown Land Residential Lease Act, 2023

J. Sturdy

Statements (Standing Order 25B)

Streams Foundation Canada and Coffee with Seniors initiative

K. Paddon

Pink Shirt Day

R. Merrifield

Black History Month

M. Elmore

Resource Benefits Alliance and economy in northwest B.C.

E. Ross

Cannabis producers in Kootenays

B. Anderson

Dream Rally fundraiser donation for Okanagan College bursaries

N. Letnick

Ministerial Statements

Burial sites at residential schools and support for survivors and families

Hon. M. Rankin

M. Lee

A. Olsen

Oral Questions

Police services in Surrey

K. Falcon

Hon. M. Farnworth

M. de Jong

Disability assistance rates

S. Furstenau

Hon. S. Malcolmson

Health care services in Kamloops and status of obstetrics clinic

T. Stone

Hon. A. Dix

Government action on issues in health care system

P. Milobar

Hon. A. Dix

S. Bond

Hon. D. Eby

Standing Order 35

Request to debate a matter of urgent public importance — status of health care system

T. Stone

Orders of the Day

Second Reading of Bills

Bill 8 — Real Estate Services Amendment Act, 2023 (continued)

Hon. J. Whiteside

Hon. K. Conroy

Bill 7 — Land Owner Transparency Amendment Act, 2023

Hon. K. Conroy

P. Milobar

Standing Order 35 (Speaker’s Ruling)

Request to debate a matter of urgent public importance — status of health care system

Second Reading of Bills

Bill 7 — Land Owner Transparency Amendment Act, 2023 (continued)

P. Milobar

J. Sims

D. Routley

Hon. J. Brar

B. Anderson

R. Russell

Hon. M. Farnworth

Hon. H. Bains

A. Singh

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 22, 2023

The House met at 1:35 p.m.

[Mr. Speaker in the chair.]

Routine Business

Prayers and reflections: Hon. G. Lore.

Tributes

CURTIS ANDREW TABLOTNEY

H. Yao: It is with the family’s permission and a heavy heart that I’m

making this delayed introduction. I’m making an introduction of Curtis

Andrew Tablotney, who was born on July 20, 1986, and passed away

December 14, 2022.

Curtis grew up in Richmond, attended Westwind Elementary and

graduated from Steveston secondary school in 2004. He was an

accomplished insurance broker and worked for the family’s insurance

company, LeGear Pelling, for the past 20 years.

In addition to his mother, Debbie, and father, Andrew, Curtis

leaves behind his two brothers, Trevor and Troy; and his longtime

girlfriend, Fernanda Sanchez; as well as extended family and many

friends.

Curtis’s celebration of life was on January 6, 2023, at

4 p.m. at a Richmond funeral home at 8420 Cambie Road,

Richmond.

His family now is spreading awareness of the danger of drug

overdose and poisoning from the current toxic drug supply by tying

purple ribbons across Richmond and making and handing out purple lapel

ribbons, which are a symbol created by Moms Stop the Harm, an advocacy

group of mothers who have lost their children to the drug overdose

crisis and poisonings.

I ask the House to join me in condolences to the

family.

Introductions by Members

Hon. S. Malcolmson: I invite the House to welcome my friend and my Member of Parliament,

Lisa Marie Barron.

One of the things that I had to give up in order to be in this place

was my role as Member of Parliament for Nanaimo-Ladysmith — I am so happy to

a strong woman from Newfoundland, all the way to Nanaimo, and one that

worked in the addictions prevention field before she was elected.

Will the House please make Lisa Marie Barron welcome.

Hon. R. Kahlon: We have some staff from the Ministry of Housing that are in the

chambers today. I want to recognize their amazing work. We have Nikki

Papadopoulos, Jessica Alexander, Debbie Newman, Elizabeth Gustavsen, Sarah

Petrescu, Brynn Warren, Michael Duncan, Daniel Multhui, Igor Borba, Naomi

McKay and Cassandra Finlay.

If the House could please make them

welcome.

Hon. M. Rankin: I’d like the House to welcome a constituent of mine, a friend and a

prominent environmental lawyer, Ben van Drimmelen.

Ben was a wildlife biologist for 40 years out of Smithers and then for

20 years, has been a practising environmental lawyer, including working, in

his illustrious career, as counsel to the B.C. Forest Practices Board. Since

his retirement, Ben has been a director or a member of many environmental

non-governmental organizations such as the Canadian land trust alliance, the

Habitat Acquisition Trust and the SeaChange Conservation Society.

Would the House please make Mr. Ben van Drimmelen welcome.

[1:40 p.m.]

Hon. J. Whiteside: Joining us in the gallery today, we have Jada Smith, Erica Greenup and

Erica’s guest, Travis Ferguson, for their very first time watching

QP.

I am so grateful to have Jada and Erica as my admin support in my

ministry office. As all of us in this House know, it takes, really,

something special to keep everything operating smoothly in the complexity of

the work we do in this place. I am so grateful for their patience with

me.

Thank you both so much.

Would the House please join me in making them feel welcome

here.

E. Ross: In the gallery today, we have Terrace mayor Sean Butjas, who just got

recently elected by acclamation in Terrace. With him is the Houston mayor,

Shane Brienen. They are representing the Northwest Resource Benefits

Alliance.

The RBA, for short, wants to follow up on government commitments to

negotiate a sustainable revenue–sharing deal with the province. He currently

has meetings, I know, with members of government. The mayors of the

northwest want to support resource development but can’t keep up with the

demands on services and infrastructure needs.

Would the House please welcome the members representing the Northwest

Revenue Benefit Alliance.

Mr. Speaker, I forgot to mention that I have two

introductions.

Mr. Speaker: Please continue.

E. Ross: The other guest we have in the gallery is Michael Bapty. I’ve met him

before. This guy is an ex­tremely smart guy, which is…. Try having a

conversation with him, given my background. He came to talk about a plan or

a concept he has regarding emissions that equals energy and energy equals

emissions.

I don’t want to put words in your mouth, Michael, but….

He wants to talk about the commitments to the Paris accord, studying

energy shortages and challenges, the B.C. forests and Canadian forests as a

carbon sponge, and the synergies on a nationwide scale. What’s scary about

this is that he made incredible sense. He’s from Duncan, B.C.

Would the House please welcome Michael Bapty from Duncan,

B.C.

Hon. H. Bains: Today in the gallery are three people who, all of their lives, have

been active to improve the lives of the working people in this

province.

Sussanne Skidmore is the president of the B.C. Federation of Labour.

Although she has been in that position just for a few months, she’s been

with the B.C. Federation of Labour and with her union, I think, almost all

of her life.

Then we have Hermender Singh Kailley, is also with B.C. Federation of

Labour, the secretary-treasurer. I just want to say about this particular

person, as they say, that this apple didn’t fall too far away from the tree.

His dad was a shop steward when I was with the IWA in a plant that he worked

in, in North Vancouver. Now look. His son is the secretary-treasurer of the

B.C. Federation of Labour.

I tell you, I think the community is so proud of you,

Hermender.

Denise Moffatt is also director of government relations with the B.C.

Federation of Labour.

Please help me make their visit here very, very welcome.

F. Donnelly: Joining us in the House today is former MLA Jodie Wickens. Jodie

Wickens served in the Legislature as MLA for Coquitlam–Burke Mountain from

February 2, 2016, to 2017. She was elected in a by-election at the same time

as the member for Vancouver–Mount Pleasant, and they have remained good

friends ever since.

Prior to being elected, Jodie served as executive director of the

Autism Support Network, and she now serves as the director of programs and

services at SHARE Family and Community Services, one of the most effective

community organizations providing leadership services in response to social

needs for Tri-Cities residents.

Jodie is an awesome mom and a great community advocate, and I’m lucky

to call her a friend.

Will the House please welcome back to the Legislature Jodie

Wickens.

[1:45 p.m.]

Hon. N. Cullen: I’d like to join my colleague from Skeena in welcoming representatives

from the Resource Benefits Alliance. I believe we have three proud northern

mayors joining us here today — of course, Mayor Sean Butjas from Terrace,

Mayor Shane Brienen from Houston as well as Mayor Herb Pond from Prince

Rupert — who are down to meet with myself, the Pre­mier and others to

talk about the important issues that they bring from the North.

I would also like to join my colleague from Nanaimo in welcoming my

representative, Member of Parliament Taylor Bachrach — who has served as

mayor in Smithers, making us both Smithereens; a fierce advocate for the

environment, Indigenous rights and title, as well as an in­strumental

figure in bringing the B.C. Bus North to make travel safe for everyone

across the northwest.

Would the House please join me in making them all feel

welcome.

T. Shypitka: It warms my heart every time a constituent travels from the riding of

Kootenay East, 1,000 kilometres and over six mountain passes, just to come

to Victoria to see me and to see…. That might not be entirely true. On a

good day, that’s about 15 hours travel — unless, of course, they flew, and

that would probably be double that, if you had the same luck as I’ve

had.

I’d like to welcome Sharon and Joseph Cross. Sharon is a former city

counsellor of Cranbrook and has been active locally, regionally and

nationally, involved in environmental and social issues through the

Cranbrook Climate Hub, B.C. Climate Alliance, Kootenay River Network, East

Kootenay Humanity Network, the Cranbrook community forest society, the

Shelter for Ukrainians Society and Wildsight, just to name a few.

Joseph is a renowned visual artist that has received numerous

international recognitions throughout his career, including being chosen as

Artist of the Year by Trout Unlimited Canada in 2007. He has been

commissioned to produce portraits, paintings and presentations by various

individuals, organizations and corporations. In 2012, Joseph was appointed

to the B.C. Arts Council to represent rural communities. His community

involvement includes chair of the Cranbrook Community Forest Society,

Wildsight and the Cranbrook Arts Council.

In 2021, both Sharon and Joseph were given the Paul Harris Award for

their support of Sunrise Rotary, the Foundry, the Kootenay Rockies Gran

Fondo, the Cranbrook community forest and much, much more.

If you want to talk about volunteers, there they are, right there in

the gallery. Would the gallery please welcome Sharon and Joseph

Cross.

M. Dykeman: I’d like to take this moment to rise in the House to wish someone very

dear to me a happy birthday — someone who has been a mentor, an incredible

grandfather to my two children, a dear friend and made it so that it was

possible for me to do this work. When I’m over here, my father, Ron Dykeman,

is on the farm with my kids, who are now…. My last one is finishing high

school this year. Without his support, his guidance and his unwavering

commitment, I wouldn’t be able to stand in this House today. I’m forever

grateful for that.

I was wondering if the House could please join me in wishing my

father, Ron Dykeman, a very happy birthday.

K. Greene: I would like to introduce a constituent of mine. He is CFO at a

Richmond tech company. He first became CFO of a publicly traded company at

the age of 30.

He is also completely irresistible. He is the love of my life. In

third-year university, I passed a cute guy a note and said: “Did you want to

ditch class and get a beer?”

You are my heart’s home, and I love you desperately.

Please make Trevor Greene welcome.

G. Chow: It’s not every day you actually have face-to-face contact with your

members from Vancouver-Fraserview. Without their permission, I would like to

introduce Ian Mass and Lynn Mass, who visited the Legislature right here

today.

Welcome, and thank you for all your help through the years, Ian and

Lynn.

H. Yao: Thank you, Mr. Speaker, for indulging me in another one.

I do want to say that I want to take a moment to welcome Richmond

Secondary School’s grade 10 social studies class. This is the fourth class

coming to visit this week, and I want to thank the teachers Candis Keirn,

Gideon Lin, Keiko Waight for bringing the class here.

[1:50 p.m.]

I do also want…. It would be foolish for me to fail to not acknowledge

a simple fact. I want to say the smartest, but I’m pretty sure my colleagues

will really give me a hard time after that. So I’m going to say one of the

smartest MLAs in our building here is also a Richmond Secondary School

alumni. Obviously, that would be the Post-Secondary and Future Skills

Minister.

I want everybody to join us to welcome the Richmond Secondary

students.

Welcome to the chamber.

J. Rustad: I want to join colleagues in recognizing the mayors from the northwest

and their work and for them coming down. In particular, I want to highlight

Shane Brienen and the work he’s doing on behalf of Houston.

As most people here know, Houston is going through a very challenging

time with the announcement of closure by Canfor. It’s put a tremendous

amount of stress on the community.

I wanted the House to once again recognize him and thank him for the

work he’s doing on behalf of the constituents of Houston.

R. Russell: I see in the gallery we have Curtis Helgesen, who is now the CAO for

Bulkley-Nechako. I got some peripheral interaction with him, because we both

spent some time in Colombia, working on communities there, supporting rural

communities to navigate some of the impacts of the mining sector and making

sure they’re taking advantage that.

Please make him feel welcome.

Hon. M. Mark: I seek leave to rise on a point of privilege.

Leave granted.

Mr. Speaker: Please proceed.

Personal Statements

SERVICE TO LEGISLATURE

AND EXPERIENCE AS FIRST NATIONS

MLA

Hon. M. Mark: Hon. Speaker, Simgigat, Sigidimhaanak, K’uba Wilksihlkw .

My traditional name is Hli Haykwhl Ẃii Xsgaak. Last week, February 18,

2023, was the seventh anniversary of me taking my seat in this House as

the member for Vancouver–Mount Pleasant.

Today I’m making an announcement.

I’m proud to be the descendant of the

Nisg̱a’a and Gitxsan people on my

mom’s side and Cree, Ojibway, French and Scottish on my father’s side.

My parents, Yvonne Mark and Wayne Sinclair, were both working class.

They worked in the fisheries and roofing industries. They both struggled

with drug addiction and alcohol addiction. My dad died from an overdose

in the Downtown Eastside of Vancouver.

My mom, Yvonne Mark, is my biggest fan. She also happens to be my

constituent. I know we can’t use props, but if you’re going to kick me

out, I might as well go out my way. That’s my mom and my girls. My mom

was homeless and struggled in the Downtown Eastside for many years. She

sobered up on my 30th birthday. She is my inspiration. She is here in

the gallery with us today.

My family, like so many Indigenous families in B.C. and Canada,

carry the multigenerational scars and trauma of the then Indian

residential school and the current foster care system. Three of my

grandparents attended the following Indian residential schools: St.

Michael’s, Brandon and Elk Lake.

When I was sworn in, I wore my late

Nisg̱a’a grandmother Thelma

Mark’s button blanket. Today I’m honouring my late Gitxsan grandfather,

Willie Mark, by wearing his tanned mooseskin beaded coat. He escaped

Indian agents as a child, had a grade 3 education and raised his family,

working hard in the logging industry.

For the record, we must continue advocating for justice for all

the Indian children who didn’t make it home from school and to do the

heavy lifting and hard work to advance the call to action that every

child matters.

I grew up in the Skeena projects in East Vancouver with a single

mom. I went to Van Tech and five other high schools before I eventually

graduated from Ladysmith Secondary. I am the product of the foster care

system. I will speak a little later about how important education is to

me and why it truly is the great equalizer and why kids in care need us

to have their back.

As we all know, as MLAs, we didn’t get to these chambers alone. We

had the confidence of our constituents, support from our staff and

public service, the passion of our volunteers and the unwavering love of

our family and allies lifting us up along the way.

[1:55 p.m.]

I would not be here today were it not for the unconditional love

and support of my aunt and uncle, Gerry and Jack Busch; my aunties,

cousins; and my siblings. There’s not enough time to name them all, but

they have all had my back, because as we all know, this work is not as

easy as it looks.

For 40 years, countless people have empowered me to be on the

journey that I am on today. They have paddled hard with me on my

journey, often steering me in the direction I needed to go.

People like my high school rugby coach, Mike Haley, gave me the

confidence to believe in myself. He told me that I had tenacity. Rugby

instructor at native ed, Susan Briggs, taught me that I wasn’t a dumb

Indian after all and that I had the intelligence to complete

post-secondary.

I’m the first person from my family to graduate from high school

and college — namely, Native Education College in my riding of

Vancouver–Mount Pleasant, Douglas College and Simon Fraser University.

As I mentioned earlier, education is very important to me. As Justice

Murray Sinclair once said, after leading the Truth and Reconciliation

Commission: “Education got us into this mess, and education is going to

get us out.”

Many others have had my back and paddled hard with me over the

decades, including Sarah Mines, Steve Chetta, Irene Singh, Maryvon

Delanoe, Sean McLaren, Bill Yoachim and Mary Ellen

Turpel-Lafond.

Thirty-six are here with me today as witnesses. I wish to read

their names into the record: Yvonne Mark, Teresa Mark, Janice Mark, Maya

Cowpar-Mark, Makayla Ronaldson, David Huber, Samantha Moncton, Clay

Suddaby, Diego Cardona, Kenton Duncan, Jodie Wickens, Gerry Busch, Jack

Busch, Edward Busch, Bernie Williams, Janice Brown, Cherie Godard,

Thomas Jin, Angie Wilson, Nathan Allen, Pam Russ, Jamie Dexel-Poitras,

Kassandra Cordero, Denise Moffat, Crystal Busch, Ava Whitebear, Derek

Whitebear, Bryden Whitebear, Ian Mass, Lynn Van Meer and Sussanne

Skidmore.

I want to especially acknowledge my three campaign managers — Kate

Van Meer-Mass, who’s also in the chamber today, Nathan Allen and Diego

Cardona; Mable Elmore and Premier David Eby for being at my nomination

in 2015.

To my dear MLA sister, Jodie Wickens, who was elected to this

House in a by-election on February 2, 2016, which was Groundhog

Day.

All these people and so many more have had my back every step of

the way, unequivocally. They’ve also believed in my potential, even if

sometimes I didn’t.

I’m a true believer in resiliency theory. My daughters, Maya and

Makayla, are the centre of my life. They are the sunshine in my life.

They are the light from my darkness. I am determined to show them that

people can rise above the challenges of their existence, learn from and

overcome the traumas they have experienced. They are one more generation

removed from the national shame of the Indian residential school and the

foster care system, but still they live with its legacy.

I’m so proud of my baby eagles, who make my life better every day.

I know they will be shining stars in their own way as they make their

way forward in life. Together they gave me the confidence to fight, to

be better and to not give up.

I also had the support of people along the way that took a chance

on me, and I’m thankful.

Seven years and three elections since I took my seat here. I’m

still the only First Nations woman to hold a seat in this chamber and to

serve in our cabinet. Take a moment and think about that.

I wanted to be an MLA so I could be a strong voice for my

community, the people I grew up with, so I could be a champion for

change. I wanted to disrupt the status quo. I wanted big system’s

change.

In many ways, I have done what I came here to do. It’s also a fact

that institutions fundamentally resist change. They are allergic to

doing things differently, particularly colonial institutions like this

Legislative Assembly and government at large.

There is a lot that I’m proud of, but this journey has been

challenging and has come at a significant personal toll. This place felt

like a torture chamber. I will not miss the character

assassination.

I have been proud, so proud to represent the great constituency

and amazingly resilient people of Vancouver–​Mount Pleasant, but

it’s time for me to make a change. I’ve been an advocate and public

servant for 27 years. It has been my honour to serve.

[2:00 p.m.]

I will continue my advocacy and fight for positive change from

outside this House. I will continue using my big mouth to speak up for

the voiceless and those who don’t vote — namely, children, missing and

murdered Indigenous women and girls and Mother Earth.

Members of this House have heard me say that we need to paddle

together, but the fact is the political environment is cut-throat and

dysfunctional. Disrupting the status quo is about using your power for

good to adjust policies that stand in the way of people living their

best and healthiest lives. Future generations need us to have the guts

to have their backs and fight for their rights.

This place can’t be all about votes, polling and posturing. People

need to know that their lives matter, their communities matter, their

justice matters. People have no recourse but to sleep on the streets.

That’s unacceptable and inhumane. While our government has done so much

work to address these systemic issues, there’s so much more work to

do.

It is not partisan to be a human rights activist. This institution

needs to be less partisan. We need to have the guts and courage to do

the right and hard things in these chambers.

Not only am I the first First Nations woman to have a seat in this

House, but I’ve also had the honour to serve as a cabinet minister

thanks to former Premier John Horgan. My eagle feathers have reached the

highest level of political office in this province thanks to John

Horgan.

Along the way, with a lot of hard work, grit, determination,

advocacy, empowerment, my eagle feathers touched the following

initiatives, leaving many positive legacies throughout the

province.

Article 50 — creating the first Indigenous law school in the

world. [Applause.]

It’s a long list, so you’re going to have to hold your applause,

hon. Speaker.

Article 16 — Indigenous languages, teaching Indigenous languages

in universities.

Bringing the Invictus Games, FIFA World Cup, the Grey Cup. It was

a lot of fun being the minister, and I got things done.

Student housing — half a billion dollars invested in student

housing.

We invested in the Indigenous youth centre in my riding. I

volunteered for that organization so that young people had a positive

place to go. It took 20 years, but our NDP government did it, and I’m so

proud of that.

As the Minister of Sports, I created a grant program so that kids

in care could play competitive sport, so that they could have a chance

to excel. Despite what the opposition critic might think, I did save

tourism, arts, culture and sport during this pandemic. I did.

We created the fairs, festivals and events grants.

We saved the PNE.

We invested in the Dr. Sun Yat-Sen gardens, and so many

others.

We overhauled the B.C. Arts Council.

We voted together in this House for the Declaration on the Rights

of Indigenous Peoples Act — historic legislation.

We eliminated fees for adult basic education, because it was the

right thing to do, the first month on the job when we formed government,

an NDP government. That was a very proud day.

We created access grants for students. After 16 years when there

wasn’t grants, we overhauled access to higher education. As I said, it’s

very important to me.

We eliminated interest on student loans.

We created a sexual violence campaign.

In my riding, the Chinese Canadian Museum, the first of its kind

in Canada.

And the best thing that I ever did as a politician was create the

provincial tuition waiver program so that young kids in care could have

a chance, young kids like me could have a chance.

It’s our responsibility as elected officials and as government to

do the hard things, to do the hard work, the difficult work, the work

that people don’t usually see or hear about. Grand Chief Stewart Phillip

said reconciliation isn’t for wimps. Ellen Woodsworth reminded me that

we must lift as we climb. There’s also a saying about not forgetting

about the people on your way up.

[2:05 p.m.]

One of the proudest days of my life was taking a seat in these

chambers on behalf of all the underdogs, the vulnerable and the

silenced. I have no regrets. I have made mistakes, but I can’t turn back

time. What I can do is what I was born to do, which is speak truth to

power.

John Lennon is perhaps best known for sharing “Imagine all the

people, sharing all the world.” But the words that speak most directly

to me are “Power to the people.” It’s the people. It’s the power of the

people that sent us to this place, and it’s their power that we harness

to make change on their behalf. Let’s never forget that.

As I’ve always said, if we paddle together, we will get to our

destination sooner. The journey is still hard, and it is still long, but

it’s only by paddling together that we will arrive together on a distant

shore where we can make life better for all.

As they say, never say never. But for now, my canoe is heading in

another direction. I will continue believing in the journey and using my

superpowers and big energy, as a woman who recently was diagnosed with

attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, to advance economic, social

and environmental reconciliation and justice.

I recognize this is hard news to hear. This decision did not come

lightly. I am not quitting. If anything, I am standing up for myself.

For the first time in my life, I’m exercising my self-determination as a

single mother to put myself and my daughters first.

I may have been the first First Nations woman to have a seat in

this House, but I will do my level best to ensure that I won’t be the

last.

T’ooyaḵsiy̓

n̓isim̓ .

[Applause.]

Hon. D. Eby: I seek leave to make a statement.

Leave granted.

Hon. D. Eby: Thank you, colleagues.

It was seven years ago that Melanie Mark was sworn in as the first

First Nations woman into this Legislature. And those who were here will

always remember — I know I’ll always remember — the drumming of the

Nisg̱a’a drummers, the remarkable

sound echoing in this place. For me and for my colleagues, for all of

us, it was a sign that Melanie had changed this place forever just by

showing up in the room.

But of course, the member for Vancouver–Mount Pleasant wouldn’t be

satisfied with just changing things by showing up. She came here to get

things done. One of the things that I admire most about the member’s

time here and her work is how she brought her life experience — who she

was, her family, her friends, her relations, her work — and she brought

it to bear on every single job she took on in this Legislative

Assembly.

Members will recall that she was appointed the Minister of

Advanced Education and Skills Training. You’ve heard her speak about

some of her time. When she did things like bring in the B.C. access

grant, to expand it to make sure that more kids could go to

post-secondary education and got rid of the interest on student loans,

it was her experience being that first member of her family going to

post-secondary education. She wanted other kids to have that experience

too.

When she was Advanced Education Minister, she didn’t see her job

as being just looking after the universities and colleges, making sure

things ran okay. She used that opportunity to transform the legal

framework of this province.

It might be because of my legal background, but I think that one

of the most significant contributions that the member made was in

establishing the first law school in the world that teaches and

researches Indigenous laws and legal traditions with the aim of

incorporating them into the law of British Columbia. It has changed

already how our province operates and will change it forever. And she

did that from her role as the Minister of Advanced Education.

[2:10 p.m.]

She worked with the Representative for Children and Youth, many

members here will remember, and her experience as a kid herself but also

seeing that side of the youth-in-care system where kids reach out for

assistance from the representative’s office.

Waiving tuition for those kids so that they’ll be able to go to

school and have a completely different life trajectory was something she

delivered for them that has changed thousands of lives already, and

those people changing lives around them, echoing across the province

just like the drums did when she was sworn in.

My favourite memory, though, of Melanie Mark as an elected

official is not these big accomplishments. It’s a memory of being at the

Carnegie Centre in the Downtown Eastside in the community she

represents, in Vancouver–Mount Pleasant. We were having a meeting with a

number of advocates and activists in the community. It’s very common for

people with that experience, who are advocating for the most

marginalized people in our province, when politicians are coming in, to

expect to have to tell them how it is in the Downtown

Eastside.

Well there was a little bit of trying to tell Melanie Mark how it

was in the Downtown Eastside. Let me tell you that just by showing up in

the room and by sharing her experience with the advocates who are there,

she changed that room. She changed the whole conversation. You could

feel the shock and surprise that somebody with the background, the

experience and the tenacity of Melanie Mark was a politician that

understood, at a very deep and profound level, the experience of being

shut out, of being left behind.

She’s changed this place. She’s changed our province. She has

unimpeachable character.

Every memory I have of working with Melanie is a treasured one,

and I’m so grateful to have been her colleague.

T. Stone: I seek leave to make a statement.

Leave granted.

T. Stone: I rise on behalf of the official opposition to express our

profound thanks to the member for Vancouver–Mount Pleasant for her

service of her community but, indeed, all British Columbians. As the

first First Nations woman elected as an MLA and also importantly, as she

pointed out and the Premier mentioned, the first woman First Nations

person to serve in cabinet, she certainly has blazed a trail. I know

that everyone in this House and back home and across the province are

very grateful for that.

We’re all very hopeful that there will be a future where more

Indigenous peoples will sit in this place and where more First Nations,

Inuit and Métis people will see themselves in this House.

Certainly I heard just now how proud she is of the varied work,

the significant accomplishments that she made as Minister of Advanced

Education, Skills and Training, particularly to address the Truth and

Reconciliation Commission’s calls to action, including supporting

Indigenous teachers and language fluency and again, notably, in 2018,

launching the world’s first Indigenous law program at the University of

Victoria. That is indeed an exceptional accomplishment that I know we

are all very appreciative of on her behalf and that she’s very proud of

— rightfully so.

These are important steps forward for all of us, no matter which

side of the House we sit on here.

Now, I’ve gotten to know the member just a little bit since her

election to this place. While we may have disagreed on some matters of

policy — maybe many matters of policy, at different times — I think we

can all unify around this note, and that is that she is someone who

always brought that passion to the work that she does. No one can

question the passion for the work, the passion for her community and the

passion for the people that she knew, and knows to this day, she was

here to represent. That’s evident to all of us. I’m sure that’s shared

by everyone here.

[2:15 p.m.]

I also, on behalf of the opposition, want to thank her today for

the courage and the strength that it always takes to share one’s

personal story. Often it’s these speeches — unfortunately, sometimes —

where you actually learn some of the more intimate details about people.

I think we all got a bit more insight into who Melanie Mark really is.

We certainly all appreciate that. My thoughts go out to her. Our

thoughts go out to her family.

As she goes forward, I want the member to know, on behalf of the

official opposition, that we support you. We thank you for the important

work that you did. We thank you for your service to this chamber and

this province, and we certainly wish you all of the best in this next

and very exciting, I’m sure,

chapter of your life.

All the best, Member.

A. Olsen: Mr. Speaker, I seek leave to make a statement.

Leave granted.

A. Olsen: I just want to take a moment to raise my hands to my relative, the

MLA for Vancouver–Mount Pleasant, and to acknowledge the accomplishment,

the incredible work that you’ve done here. On behalf of British

Columbians and on behalf of our relatives across the province, I want to

raise my hands to your family, to the Matriarchs, future Matriarchs, the

Elders that are here in the room today.

You brought your family, Member, in here in a good way, a way that

I don’t know that these walls of the Legislature had ever experienced

before. They’re really heavy marble, but I’m sure they felt the weight

of being brought in here with your drums and your songs and your

beautiful cultures, the first to be able to do that.

I think it changed this place. It created a better place for me to

be brought in here when I was brought in here by my relatives as well.

It wasn’t quite so new.

I want to acknowledge that and to acknowledge the staff here and

the government, the opposition at the time, for making sure that that

was a part of our colleague’s experience in being brought into this

chamber, which has so often not been so friendly to our families across

the province.

I was going to say that the member for Vancouver–Mount Pleasant

was a trail-blazer. Then I quickly looked up what “trail-blazer” meant.

The definition is a pioneer or a person who makes track through wild

country, and I thought: “Ahh.” [Laughter.]

I know the member is at home in the country, comes from a place

that’s very deeply and well rooted in territory and in place. Something

that I think this Legislative Assembly could experience more of,

frankly, is being rooted in this place — a deep sense of knowing who you

are and where you’re from, having connections that are so deeply rooted

that, even as you’re being pulled out, you’re wondering just how far

those roots are going to go into the ground.

So I won’t say that the member is a trail-blazer — well, I sort of

did — but just acknowledge the first First Nations woman elected here,

the first First Nations woman to hold a seat at the cabinet table, to

really know what happens at the cabinet table. At some point we can have

that conversation. [Laughter.]

It’s important that our grandmothers, our mothers, our aunties,

our sisters, our nieces and our cousins have a place in this House and

that the experience here be a welcoming and safe experience for

Indigenous people, and for Indigenous women in particular. That’s the

job that we all have here as legislators and colleagues: to ensure that

there is a place here for our grandmothers, our mothers, our aunties,

our sisters, our nieces and our cousins.

[2:20 p.m.]

Today I’m sad that we have one less paddler in our canoe. Today

I’m sad that the space that’s created is from someone who has a voice

that is so deeply necessary in this House. I know that the member is on

her own journey, but I just wish that I didn’t have to be standing here

today, wishing you the best in all of your future endeavours and

everything that you do.

I will think back to those times. My colleague from Cowichan

Valley talked about and reminded me of your unbridled enthusiasm as the

Minister of Advanced Education. I remember that as well. We will all

remember that.

Thank you for bringing that passion to this House, and let’s

ensure that this place is open and welcoming and safe.

HÍSW̱ḴE SIÁM .

H. Yao: I seek leave for an introduction please.

Leave granted.

Introductions by Members

H. Yao: I just want to take a moment to welcome the second class of Richmond

Secondary students for coming and joining us today to observe our chamber

during question period. I want to welcome the social studies students. I

hope that today will be a lovely experience for all of you.

I also want to take a moment to thank Mr. Adil Khan and Mr. Leung,

vice-principal, for bringing the students to join us.

I ask all the members and all my colleagues here to welcome the

students.

Introduction and

First Reading of Bills

BILL M208 — CROWN LAND

RESIDENTIAL LEASE ACT,

J. Sturdy presented a bill intituled Crown Land Residential Lease

Act, 2023.

J. Sturdy: Sorry. I was just waiting. I thought there may be some bills

introduced.

I move the bill intituled land amendment act, 2023, of which

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

read a first time now. This bill, which I’m reintroducing, proposes

action to address inequity and uncertainty for residential renters of

Crown land.

Residential Crown land leaseholders are, in many ways, just

regular residential tenants with a notable difference that their

landlord is the province of British Columbia. Most landlords in B.C. are

subject to annual maximum rent increases as specified by the residential

tenancy branch; however, there’s one government-size exception to these

rent increase limits, and that is the provincial government, which

continues to hold itself to a separate standard.

Rental rates for tenants who live on Crown land are charged as a

percentage of B.C. Assessment–assessed value. Because of inflated or

volatile property values in places like the Sea to Sky, tenants are

under threat of a rent increase of double or even triple digits, a far

cry from the 1.5 percent as per the residential tenancy

branch.

The old Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations

had acknowledged the problem several years ago but has yet to act. It’s

frankly not clear which ministry is now handling the file.

Regardless, this bill proposes simple meaningful action by

imposing the same rent increase limitations on government as government

imposes on private landlords through the adoption of the residential

tenancy board rent increase limits. It’s only fair that government play

by the same rules that it imposes on every other landlord in British

Columbia. It’s certainly fair for the tenants.

Mr. Speaker: The question is first reading of the bill, Crown Land Residential

Lease Act, 2023.

Motion approved.

J. Sturdy: I move that the bill be put on the orders of the day at the next

sitting after today.

Bill M208, Crown Land Residential Lease Act, 2023, introduced, read a

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

at the next sitting of the House after today.

Statements

(Standing Order 25B)

STREAMS FOUNDATION CANADA

AND COFFEE WITH SENIORS

INITIATIVE

K. Paddon: I want to share a little bit with you about the Coffee with

Seniors initiative in my community, created and led by the multicultural

organization Streams Foundation Canada.

Streams Foundation Canada is a non-profit that is 100 percent

volunteer run and supported and has initiated and supported several

fantastic events and programs in our community, from river cleanups and

multicultural community events to Valentine’s Day Cookies and, most

recently, Coffee with Seniors.

[2:25 p.m.]

We know that isolation and loneliness impacts our mental and

physical health. Thanks to Streams, twice a week in our community, there

is an opportunity for seniors to join volunteers for a free coffee and

snack and to connect and chat with others of all ages at local coffee

shops.

There are 25 to 30 volunteers who join in on these social

opportunities with seniors to connect and share laughs and good

conversation, all over a coffee in a local shop. In the few short weeks

this program has been up and running, the support and excitement have

been overwhelming. Not only are local seniors loving it, but volunteers

are flooding in to be part of this intergenerational opportunity to

connect.

Businesses in Chilliwack-Kent are also pitching in. When Tim

Hortons and Starbucks saw the groups in their coffee shops, they decided

to get on board, as well, and are now supporting these meet-ups with

free coffee and snacks.

My MLA office has also been very fortunate to be involved by

supplying seniors guides and provincial pins that can be handed out by

volunteers to the seniors. I’m looking forward to hosting the volunteers

in our office for an information session about all the resources

available, so they can share that with seniors when I’m not

available.

I want to thank Streams for this great initiative, for inviting me

to be part of these good works and for developing this valuable

opportunity to reduce loneliness in our community.

Also, a huge thanks to the other partners who make it possible:

the Hi Neighbour Sardis Community Initiative by United Way, SpeedWash

car wash and, of course, Starbucks and Tim Hortons on Vedder

Road.

Please check out Streams Foundation Canada on Facebook for more

information.

PINK SHIRT DAY

R. Merrifield: I rise today to acknowledge and recognize a very special day, the

16th annual Pink Shirt Day.

As I stand here wearing my pink shirt, I think of many children,

even my own children, and the negative effect that bullying has on them.

With an average of one in five children experiencing bullying, students

and supporters are gathering in schools nationwide to say no to bullying

and to increase awareness of such a horrid practice.

Pink Shirt Day was started in 2007 in Nova Scotia by two brave

teenagers, David Shepherd and Travis Price. Travis and David witnessed a

grade 9 student getting bullied for wearing a pink shirt. To protest the

bullying, they handed out 50 pink shirts for students to wear in support

of their classmate. This heartwarming act of solidarity sent a strong

message that bullying would not be tolerated in their school.

Today Pink Shirt Day has grown to be supported by people in over

110 countries, including right here in British Columbia’s Parliament

Buildings thanks to former Premier Christy Clark. Pink Shirt Day

highlights the importance of taking ownership of one’s words and

realizing the impact these words have on another’s mental health. No one

should leave conversations feeling belittled, humiliated and

defeated.

This year’s theme is lifting each other up, a reminder to be kind

and make sure that we are supporting and speaking up for those who do

not have a voice. British Columbians must stand together and ensure the

end of racism, homophobia and transphobia in our society and make B.C. a

safe place for everyone.

BLACK HISTORY MONTH

M. Elmore: February is Black History Month, a time to recognize and honour

the legacy of Black people and celebrate the achievements and legacy of

Black people in Canada and British Columbia.

Despite the history of slavery, colonialism, racism, oppression,

underlined by beliefs in white supremacy, we know that Black people have

been part of shaping British Columbia’s history for more than 150 years.

So many of their stories are unknown by most British Columbians and live

on in relative obscurity.

For example, at the age of 17, Burnaby’s Barbara Howard was the

first Black woman to represent Canada in an international competition. I

had the honour to meet Barbara. She competed in track and field in the

1938 British Empire Games in Australia, winning two medals.

Seraphim Joseph Fortes is heralded as Vancouver’s Citizen of the

Century for saving at least 29 people from drowning. He taught three

Bay during the 1900s. Stories like these inspire us to learn more about

the history of our province.

We know that Hogan’s Alley was once a lively hub in Vancouver’s

Black community, but like so many low-income neighborhoods, it was

characterized as a blight on the city. In 1971, the city of Vancouver

began constructing Georgia and Dunsmuir viaduct right through the middle

of this vibrant neighbourhood. That history is not far behind us. That

doesn’t mean it’s not too late to do things differently. Today we know

that there are efforts to revitalize Hogan’s Alley as a historic

site.

[2:30 p.m.]

The city of Vancouver is also investing in Nora Hendrix Place to

support Black and Indigenous residents who are experiencing homelessness

in Hogan’s Alley.

Earlier this month schools in Surrey launched a Black studies

course to teach school-aged children about Black history in Canada, and

people across British Columbia are listening to Black musicians, reading

books by Black authors and buying products from Black businesses this

month.

We recognize the diversity of the global African diaspora in many

contributions they have brought the world, and I know that I’m joined by

all members here in the Legislature to go beyond words and find

meaningful ways to make sure that the contributions Black Canadians have

made to this country are never forgotten.

RESOURCE BENEFITS ALLIANCE

AND ECONOMY IN NORTHWEST

B.C.

E. Ross: I rise in the House to recognize the Resource Benefits Alliance,

RBA for short, an association comprised of 21 local governments across

the northwest region, from Massett to Vanderhoof. The alliance was

founded in 2014 to negotiate a new funding agreement with the province

to ensure that northwest B.C. benefits from the economic activity in the

area. Such activities enable the creation of good, family-supporting

jobs that not only enhance the area but also the lives of many looking

for a place to start a family.

The natural resource industries of forestry, commercial fisheries,

mining, hydroelectricity and LNG make up the key economic activities of

the northwest region. Over the last five years, the region has seen $13

billion invested into major capital projects, including the $40 billion

LNG Canada project. However, much of the economic activity in this

region is located outside the municipal boundaries, meaning the benefits

of the projects don’t reach the communities which often bear significant

impacts.

The RBA is working towards encouraging economic growth in the

region and building the necessary physical and social infrastructure to

develop sustainable communities, looking forward. The northwest has lots

to offer, including great local businesses, affordable communities,

talented people and an exceptional lifestyle. Increased economic growth

will ensure northwest communities are places where workers and their

families can thrive.

I would like to thank the RBA for the hard work they continue to

put in to advocate for the prosperous future of the northwest region and

its people.

If you haven’t gotten your snazzy little pin yet, the mayors

representing the RBA are sitting there. They have a whole supply of pins

to give you.

CANNABIS PRODUCERS IN KOOTENAYS

B. Anderson: In the Kootenays, we have incredible craft producers. We are home

to craft wine producers, craft breweries, craft distilleries and, of

course, craft cannabis. One of the things I love about craft industries

in B.C. is that their products, processes and philosophies are as

diverse as the communities and individuals who own them.

The former Minister of State for Trade joined me on a tour of

Rosebud Cannabis Farms, south of Salmo. Che’ LeBlanc and his team are an

excellent example of skilled cannabis experts with decades of experience

that have successfully transitioned to the regulated market. During the

tour, we learned about the regenerative agricultural practices that Che’

and his team are dedicated to, including intercropping, no-till and

enhanced habitat for beneficial soil, flora and fauna.

Like many craft producers, Rosebud Farms is not trying to compete

with the big guys. They are focused on using earth ethics and

sustainable techniques to create low-energy, high-yield premium craft

cannabis.

Craft businesses are often very collaborative in nature. Che’, as

a co-founder of Antidote Processing, is a perfect example of that.

Antidote Processing is a collective of regenerative and living soil

farmers that have collaborated to create a cannabis processing facility.

Shannon Ross, an incredible Métis woman and friend, is the CEO of

Antidote Processing. She collaborated with Che’, Kevin McBride of

Kootenay’s Finest and Gary Krempl of Lono’s Garden Paradise to build a

processing facility that will provide a vehicle for cannabis growers in

the Kootenays.

Antidote is supporting cultivators to navigate the complex

regulatory process to get their cannabis production legal and take that

product, process it and prepare it for market. Their success is built on

the success of all craft producers in the region. Antidote recently

received their approval by Health Canada.

[2:35 p.m.]

I would like to congratulate the entire Antidote team for changing

the game for craft cannabis producers in the Kootenays. The economic

development opportunity is enormous, and I’m excited to see Antidote and

the craft cannabis producers they support soar.

DREAM RALLY FUNDRAISER DONATION

FOR OKANAGAN COLLEGE

BURSARIES

N. Letnick: Ten students at Kelowna’s Okanagan College will see their dreams

come true thanks to a $40,000 contribution from a local couple, Jason

and Laura Norup-Boyer, who participated in the 2022 Okanagan Dream

Rally, a well-established fundraising event hosted by the August Family

Foundation that pairs children with support needs with high-end cars and

drivers for the day.

This event, in 2022, drew more than 50,000 spectators and has

raised over $3 million for local charities since its inception. Laura’s

donation marks the first time the Okanagan College Foundation has been

chosen as a recipient for the charity and will provide ten $4,000

bursaries to students facing financial hardship. Students in all

programs on the Okanagan College campuses are eligible to

apply.

These bursaries will make education accessible to people who

otherwise would not be able to go to school, give students an

opportunity to study and achieve their educational goals and benefit the

communities they go on to live and work in. I am incredibly thankful for

the Boyers, who are passionate about supporting local charities and

value education as the key to empowering people to do more with their

lives.

I can’t stress enough about the importance and benefits of

donating to education. It is critical in providing students with

essential resources and opportunities. It provides access to quality

materials, technology and enrichment activities, helping to build a

strong educational foundation and prepare students for the

future.

It is also an important way to support teachers, who are the

backbone of our educational system.

Ministerial Statements

BURIAL SITES AT RESIDENTIAL

SCHOOLS AND SUPPORT FOR

SURVIVORS AND FAMILIES

Hon. M. Rankin: Yesterday Tseshaht First Nation shared the preliminary findings

from the first phase of their investigation on the site of the former

Alberni Indian Residential School, and on January 25 of this year, the

Williams Lake First Nation released findings from the second phase of

their investigation at the site of the former St. Joseph’s Mission

School near Williams Lake. Through the research of records, the use of

ground-penetrating radar and the collection of survivor testimonies, the

findings uncovered more deaths and more potential sites of unmarked

graves.

I rise today to honour the children. I rise today to recognize

their families, who have suffered and continue to suffer from the pain

that was needlessly and cruelly inflicted by the residential school

system. I rise today to honour residential school survivors and

intergenerational survivors, just as the member for Vancouver–Mount

Pleasant has done so eloquently earlier today. And I rise today to bear

witness to their truths.

News of these findings uncover a truth that First Nations people

have always known: the truth of atrocities that were committed against

children at these institutions. This is a truth that has been hidden

from most Canadians’ history and for most history of this country. As

the investigating teams of Tseshaht First Nation said yesterday, decades

went by with survivors trying to speak their truth, with few people

listening.

organizations operated the residential school system as part of official

Canadian policy. That policy aimed at the complete assimilation of

Indigenous peoples by stripping them of their language, their culture

and their connection to family, community and land. An estimated 150,000

First Nations, Métis and Inuit children were removed from their families

and attended these institutions, where many Indigenous children suffered

unimaginable abuse — physical, mental, emotional and sexual abuse while

attending residential school.

Today First Nations across British Columbia are leading Canada in

the work of investigating these former sites and documenting the

experiences of Indigenous children who were taken to residential

schools. I’m particularly grateful to Charlene Belleau, who has been

instrumental in her work as the province’s liaison. I commend the

leadership, strength and commitment of Chief Willie Sellars, Chief

Councillor waamiiš, Ken Watts, and so many other leaders as they

undertake the solemn responsibility to find the children who never came

home.

[2:40 p.m.]

I acknowledge the strength and resilience of the survivors and

their families who have come forward to share their truth as part of

this process. This is a painful truth that First Nations like the

Williams Lake and Tseshaht First Nations continue to document so that

future generations will know the history and understand the legacy of

residential schools in Canada.

We know there will be many difficult decisions ahead. Our

government will continue to stand with First Nations across this

province as they investigate the sites of former residential schools and

so-called Indian hospitals. These are important steps on the journey

towards truth, healing and justice for survivors, intergenerational

survivors and families.

In the words of the truth and reconciliation commissioners —

Justice Murray Sinclair, Chief Wilton Littlechild and Dr. Marie Wilson:

“It is due to the courage and determination of former students, the

survivors of Canada’s residential school system, that the Truth and

Reconciliation Commission was established. They worked for decades to

place the issue of the abusive treatment that students were subjected to

at residential schools on the national agenda…. All Canadians must now

demonstrate the same level of courage and determination as we commit to

an ongoing process of reconciliation.”

In the journey to reconciliation, all Canadians have a

responsibility to honour the truth, and that begins with listening to

survivors.

M. Lee: I rise today to acknowledge, support and raise awareness of the

meaningful work and responsibilities carried out by First Nations in

B.C. as they strive to find the children who never came home from Indian

residential schools.

We stand with the Tseshaht First Nation, who yesterday shared the

preliminary findings from the first phase of their study of the grounds

of the former Alberni Indian Residential School and their search to find

the children who were left behind. With help from historical records and

survivors, at least 67 children have been confirmed to have died while

at the school. With 17 geophysical features found after scanning just 10

percent of the survey area, it’s clear that there is more work to do

and, unfortunately, likely, more tragedy to unearth.

Today in this House, we also recognize the Williams Lake First

Nation, who recently completed phase 2 of their search. To date, they

have identified at least 66 more potential burial sites, bringing the

total number of reflections found to 159.

These heartbreaking discoveries are a reminder of the harsh

reality and devastating truth that we are all working so hard with First

Nations to reconcile in our province. It’s a reminder of the necessity

of reconciliation, as First Nation communities continue to deal with the

intergenerational trauma inflicted by the Indian residential school

system. While we honour the lives and the legacies of the children who

never came home, we also remember the survivors, the loved ones and the

community members that keep their memories alive.

Our colleague the member for Cariboo-Chilcotin reminds us that

communities like those in Williams Lake are still living with and

healing their grief. Many residential schools, like the St. Joseph

Mission School near Wil­liams Lake, were torn down almost 30 years

ago. Yet to this day, nearly everyone in the community has a connection

to or knows someone impacted by these institutions, which were designed

to assimilate Indigenous peoples, forcibly separating children from

their parents and culture.

As Eddy Charlie reminds us, we need to listen to the survivors of

Indian residential schools like himself and Phyllis Webstad, whose

experience at the St. Joseph Mission School inspired the creation of

Orange Shirt Day.

[2:45 p.m.]

Phyllis and Eddy joined us in this House only a few weeks ago to

witness the tabling of Bill 2 for the National Day for Truth and

Reconciliation here in B.C. They are examples of the complex and

selfless work that survivors do by sharing their stories, reliving the

trauma, building understanding and fighting adversity to bring awareness

of those who are left behind. This work, grieving and accountability is

ongoing.

As the shadow minister for Indigenous Relations and Reconciliation

for the official opposition, I reaffirm our commitment to advancing

truth and reconciliation as we stand with the Tseshaht First Nation and

the Williams Lake First Nation.

A. Olsen: I rise to respond to the ministerial statement on behalf of the

Third Party.

I think it’s important just to start by acknowledging the

incredible leadership that has been shown and that was shown that first

time that we stood and spoke to this issue in a ministerial statement by

Kukpi7 Rosanne Casimir, Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc, the incredible

leadership that’s been displayed by Chief Willie Sellars from the

Williams Lake First Nation and the incredible leadership that was shown

this week by waamiiš, Chief Councillor Ken Watts, the chief councillor

from Tseshaht.

The burden our relatives carry in the communities where these

residential institutions, so-called educational institutions, were

located…. It’s a big burden. As was noted yesterday in that

presentation, the number of communities that our children were gathered

from and brought to those schools…. The responsibility that the

leadership, the Elders, the families in those caretaker communities, as

they’ve been called, is a very large one.

How do we address making sure that our ancestors, our relatives,

have been taken care of in a good way, in a cultural way, but in a way

of diverse cultures that we see in this province? There is no real “just

First Nations people.” There is a wide variety, a wide diversity, of

Indigenous peoples in this province.

The children were collected and brought to these locations as if

they were all just some blanket Indigenous people. But the

responsibility that those communities have now is to make sure that each

of those diverse communities that those children came from, that may

very well be in these sites, are looked after in a way that’s culturally

appropriate and in a good way, as we talk about.

Today I think…. As you know, I’ve spoken to many ministerial

statements now, following the findings, those shocking findings at

Kamloops. As I pointed out, it was not necessarily shocking for

Indigenous people but for our society. It was quite a shocking

experience for them.

The number of times that I’ve stood and spoken to ministerial

statements about the missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls,

days of action and the times that we pause to reflect on the impact that

the colonial policies had on our mothers and grandmothers and on our

aunties….

I spoke just earlier this week about the National Day for Truth

and Reconciliation, the solemn reminder that that day will be for all

Canadians. I really do feel it’s important that we do continue to stand

and talk and stand and tell stories and stand to listen. It also needs

to be done in the frame that the stories that are shared are not easy to

be shared.

It is important that every time we ask for the stories to be

shared, we recognize the pain and suffering, the wounds that are

reopened each time we do have those stories and the discussions in this

place and in the communities across the province.

[2:50 p.m.]

I want to just say that an unfortunate occurrence has been

increasing in my legislative in-box, and that is, really, a type of

despicable questioning about the findings. I’m going to put a name to it

here today, and I hope we can put an end to what I’ve seen as an

increase in this questioning. Our relatives in those communities are not

going and aimlessly looking. They’re going to those places because

they’ve been told that’s where they’re likely to find

something.

The questioning that’s happening right now, this undercurrent that

is starting to bubble in our society, needs to be put to an end now.

This residential school and Indian hospital experience is real. As much

as we’d like, and some would like in our society, to suggest that it’s

not and to pretend that it’s not, it’s real.

They’re finding these disturbances in the ground because the

children saw those places, and they knew where to point, and they knew

where to highlight. So it’s important, I think, that we put a name to

that and call an end to it, because these experiences are painful, and

to have that questioning starting to bubble up in our society is

unacceptable.

We know that these stories are real. We believe. The words of the

survivors are overwhelming, and the burden that’s carried by our leaders

— Kukpi7 Casimir; Chief Sellars; waamiiš, Chief Watts…. That’s real as

well.

When I reach out to talk, oftentimes I’m told: “I’m dealing with

the very important work right now of what’s happening at the residential

school site, and I need to go. I’ll talk to you about whatever the issue

is, but I….” A lot of time is being spent, a lot of resources and effort

are being expended to do this work in a good way.

I think what you saw yesterday from the Tseshaht and our relatives

in Port Alberni was that they are really taking this work very

seriously, and they are showing a type of leadership that I think we

haven’t seen in this country. I raise my hands to them.

I want them to know, as they go about this work, that they have

the support of this Legislative Assembly and that we will help carry

some of the burden, as much as they’re willing to share with us, and

continue to encourage them and love them, because the job that they have

right now in taking care of all of the families across Vancouver Island,

but indeed across British Columbia, is a heavy burden.

I want to acknowledge that and name it here today.

HÍSW̱ḴE SIÁM .

H. Yao: I seek leave to make an introduction.

Leave granted.

Introductions by Members

H. Yao: I appreciate my colleagues’ enthusiasm.

I just want to welcome the third Richmond Secondary School students

for coming in today. I want to thank Ms. Cindy Ho and Dave Miller for

bringing your class.

Today has been a difficult day, but it’s an important day. We’re

having a lot of really important discussions. I really hope your social

studies 10 students will be able to walk away with a lot of great, great

reminders that important work must be done.

Quickly, I’m asking my colleagues to join together and welcome this

class as well.

Oral Questions

POLICE SERVICES IN SURREY

K. Falcon: Once again NDP incompetence is on full display as we witness the

latest mess in Surrey continuing to unfold.

To begin with, they gave the green light to a policing plan that

included 18 months of severance pay for a mere six months’ worth of

work. Now they can’t even make a decision, dragging their feet while

confusion and chaos and costs spiral out of control. Yet it’s Surrey

residents that are paying the price for this, facing up to a 20 percent

property tax increase, the largest property tax increase in Surrey’s

history.

Enough is enough. The Premier must explain his failure to protect

Surrey taxpayers. When will the Premier stop delaying and start doing

his job, or is he content to let the people of Surrey pay for his

government’s indecision and incompetence?

[2:55 p.m.]

Hon. M. Farnworth: I thank the member for his question. I want to start off by

pointing out where he’s factually wrong. His colleagues were wrong

yesterday, and he is wrong today.

Contracts are negotiated by the city of Surrey and the police

department, not by the provincial government. It’s the same whether it’s

New Westminster, Delta, Port Moody, Vancouver or, for that matter, the

RCMP. We do not sign off, and we do not oversee them. So his colleagues

were wrong yesterday, and he’s wrong on that today.

What I want to assure the member, though, is that Surrey has

decided that they want to go back to the RCMP police force. As the

member will know, the original decision, by the previous Surrey council,

was to go to a Surrey police service, a decision which I note that the

hon. member supported when he said that he hoped to see it: “We will

work hard for a smooth and successful transition for Surrey’s own local

police force.”

The council has changed its mind, which they are entitled to do.

My responsibility, as Solicitor General, is to ensure that there is

plan, an orderly transition plan that would allow that to take place. We

have received an initial plan from the city of Surrey, the Surrey Police

Service and the RCMP. There were gaps and information missing that were

identified. We went back to them. My staff have been working closely

with Surrey and the RCMP to get answers to the questions and to deal

with those gaps issues.

My responsibility is to ensure safe and effective

policing…

Interjections.

Mr. Speaker: Shhh.

Hon. M. Farnworth: …not just in Surrey, but in the province as a whole. My staff are

working hard to ensure that that transition plan that the city of Surrey

wants is able to meet that.

That’s the work that’s underway. That’s the work that needs to be

done, not rushed because the Leader of the Opposition wants to score

political points. It’s being done to ensure that we have safe, effective

policing not only in Surrey but in the rest of the province.

Mr. Speaker: Leader of the Opposition.

K. Falcon: My question was to the Premier, because leadership is not just

making announcements; it’s actually making decisions. Part of the

challenge is that….

Interjections.

Mr. Speaker: Members.

K. Falcon: Part of the challenge, as we’ve discovered, is that whether it’s

trying to manage this Legislature or trying to make decisions protecting

taxpayers, this government apparently doesn’t know what they’re doing.

This time their incompetence has resulted in a total, emerging disaster

for the residents of Surrey. This NDP government was involved every step

of the way, including approving a transition plan that included 18

months of severance for six months’ worth of work.

Surrey taxpayers are already paying the highest housing prices in

North America. They’re already paying the highest fuel taxes and fuel

prices in North America. We already know from polling that up to 46

percent of residents are $200 a month or less away from not being able

to meet their family budgets. Now under this NDP, they’re facing a

record, almost 20 percent, property tax increase because of their

inability to stick to making a decision for the residents of

Surrey.

My question is a straightforward one. Will the person responsible

and who is to blame for this 20 percent property tax increase please

stand up?

Mr. Speaker: Next question.

Interjections.

Mr. Speaker: Shhh.

M. de Jong: Well, a new standard in abdication of responsibility has been set

here today in the House, Mr. Speaker.

[3:00 p.m.]

Look, the problem the government is having is that they can’t have

it both ways. They can’t, on the one hand, try to tell the House and the

people of Surrey that they were engaged in this intricate oversight

process that assessed every aspect of this transitional process and

then, on the other hand, deny any responsibility whatsoever for this

looming astronomical tax increase that is coming. Which is

it?

Now happily, to answer that question, we can go to some documents

from the estimates briefing binder from May of last year. I don’t know

how much we paid for these. It’s undoubtedly more than it used to be,

but however much we paid, we have them. I remember the briefing binders.

You know what I remember? They were never that brief,

actually.

Here’s what the note says is the government’s position on the

Surrey policing model transition. First, it says: “The policing and

security branch’s policing model transition secretariat was established

in 2019 to provide leadership and ensure provincial accountabilities are

maintained through the transition. In the fall of 2020, the Surrey

policing transition trilateral committee was established to

collaboratively plan and implement the service transition, including

senior executives from the city, Public Safety Canada and the

province.”

Then in May ’22, the RCMP, Surrey police, formerly, and the

committee agreed to jointly develop a human resources strategy and

planning transition, which was approved by that committee that the

province was on. Finally, the police and security branch’s policing

model transition secretariat continues to play an active role in

supporting and facilitating the city’s policing transition, including

provincial responsibilities for contract management.

So which is it? Were the province, the Premier and his government

simply asleep at the switch and let this incredible provision slide by,

to the detriment of the Surrey taxpayers, or were they fully aware of it

and left the Surrey taxpayers on the hook to pay astronomical tax

increases?

Hon. M. Farnworth: I appreciate my colleague. I’ve come to appreciate his efforts to

advance the opposition’s position over our years in this place. But I

want to inform him that he is mistaken. That is about the service

contract. That is not about the collective agreements or….

Interjection.

Mr. Speaker: Member.

Hon. M. Farnworth: And the negotiation…. We know what they’re trying to do.

Unfortunately, they failed yesterday and they failed again today. That’s

about the service contract. It is not about individual collective

agreements that are signed with the Surrey police, which is done

separately from that.

The reality is this: the city of Surrey voted to change their

police force, initially, to go to their own municipal police force. They

subsequently then said: “We want to go back.” They themselves have

acknowledged that the costs of the return to the RCMP are entirely

theirs and theirs alone. Their mayor has made it clear that the previous

council is what entered into this arrangement.

My responsibility, our responsibility as government, is to ensure

that there is a plan that will ensure safe and effective policing on a

transition plan back to the RCMP, if that’s what Surrey wants to do.

That’s exactly what is taking place. That’s what my staff are working

on, will continue to do to ensure that we have safe and effective

policing in the city of Surrey and the rest of the province.

Mr. Speaker: Abbotsford West, supplemental.

M. de Jong: Lest there be any doubt, let me be very clear about what the

opposition is trying to do. We’re trying to find out why this government

oversaw a process that has exposed the people of Surrey to massive tax

increases and why no one over there will take responsibility. We’re

trying to find out why Surrey MLAs on the government side have said

nothing about this process as it unfolds and exposes people.

Interjections.

[3:05 p.m.]

Mr. Speaker: Please continue.

M. de Jong: The Premier, his minister and the government can dance around this

all they want. The briefing note is clear.

Interjections.

Mr. Speaker: Members.

Please continue.

M. de Jong: We have heard now, over the course of several question periods,

just how intimate the government purports to have been in reviewing and

continuing to review and assess every aspect of this

transition.

Do the minister, the Premier and the government really expect the

people of Surrey to believe that despite that, they didn’t turn their

attention even for a moment to unprecedented levels of severance that

are going to likely result in unprecedented levels of taxation increase

for Surrey people?

If that is true, then the Premier and his government should simply

say so. Believe me, before people in Surrey have a chance to assess this

at the civic level, they are going to have a chance to assess it at the

provincial level at the next election in the province.

Mr. Speaker: I saw no question in that question they asked. Anybody who still

wants to make a statement?

Please proceed.

Hon. M. Farnworth: Never pass up an opportunity.

We have watched ever since the vote on the transition in the city

of Surrey. The opposition has been silent, except at the beginning,

where they said that this is a local government decision. Let’s be

clear. The binder and the briefing notes have been available to

them.

Absolutely, there has been superintending of the transition by my

ministry, as is their statutory responsibility. But let us also be clear

that that does not mean negotiating the contracts between the city of

Surrey and the police. That’s done by themselves in the same way that it

is done for Vancouver, for New Westminster, for Port Moody and for the

RCMP.

The deputy of police services…. My responsibility is to ensure

that that transition goes smoothly, that it abides by the agreements and

that the parties are working together in a cooperative fashion so that

there’s a smooth transition, which is something that the Leader of the

Opposition said he wanted when he spoke to the Punjabi media, when he

said, despite it being a local issue, he wanted to ensure — and he said

it on March 15, 2022 — that he will work hard for the smooth and

successful transition of Surrey’s own local police force.

The Leader of the Opposition wanted to see the Surrey police force

take place. But since that time, the city of Surrey said: “No, we want

to go back to the RCMP.” We want to make sure that if the city of Surrey

wants to go back, we have safe and effective policing and that there is

a plan that ensures that that takes place without taking resources from

Prince George or Kelowna or the North Shore or Coquitlam and also

recognizes the challenges in that transition that involve the getting of

recruits out of depot.

Just so members understand the complications involved in this,

each….

Interjections.

Hon. M. Farnworth: You seem to take…. You’re all very interested in it.

I want you to understand some of the complexities. So 900 recruits

on average each year; 17 percent don’t make it. Those recruits then,

after that 17 percent, have to supply the federal line, the provinces of

Alberta, Manitoba, Saskatchewan and the Maritimes. British Columbia gets

about a third of them.

RCMP retire. They have to fill spaces for members who want them in

their community and, at the same time, be able to deal with the issues

in Surrey and the 277 that we want, that we’re hiring in this province.

That is a lot of work by staff who are doing that work, and they’re

doing it professionally.

[3:10 p.m.]

DISABILITY ASSISTANCE RATES

S. Furstenau: As the member for Vancouver–Mount Pleasant so eloquently reminded

us, we have a responsibility to the most vulnerable people in our

province.

British Columbians with disabilities are forced to choose between

buying food, putting a roof over their heads or meeting their health

care needs every single month. The rate for a person with disabilities

is $16,300 per year, with a $375 a month shelter allowance.

Consider what it would take to try to make ends meet with that

amount of money. Then consider that if you get a roommate or a spouse,

these funds will be clawed back. This is legislated poverty for people

with disabilities. It is a policy choice.

My question is to the Premier. Will his government raise the

disability rates for B.C. to at least the poverty line?

Hon. S. Malcolmson: Thank you to my colleague across the aisle. I’m grateful to be in

this role as Minister of Social Development and Poverty Reduction. I’m

grateful to carry on the work of my predecessors, and thankful to her

for raising issues that don’t often get aired in this place.

Everybody deserves to be treated with respect and not live in

poverty. Our government is committed to having each person have their

very best life, to live in dignity, to have the security of food, family

and housing.

Our government has made poverty reduction a priority since we

formed government in 2017. Since 2017, we’ve increased social assistance

rates three times, including the largest-ever increases in 2021. We

doubled the seniors supplement, the first increase in the entire history

of the benefit. We restored the minimum shelter allowance.

Even with all of these increased supports and all of these

changes, people are really having a hard time. Global inflation has hit

the most vulnerable people the hardest, so we’re determined to do more,

and we will do more.

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

S. Furstenau: I think if this government were determined to do more and to

ensure that people have dignity, and that they can live their best life,

the action that needs to be taken is to raise the rates that people with

disabilities are living on. Its simple. It’s not words. It’s not victory

laps. It is an action.

People with disabilities are battling against record inflation,

rising rents in a housing market that was already unaffordable and a

system that operates from a starting point of mistrust. People with

disabilities in this province live in poverty today. This government can

make the decision and the choice to resolve that by at least raising the

rates to the level of the poverty line.

My question again is to the Premier. Will his government support

the people who need it the most by increasing B.C.’s disability rates

and removing punitive clawbacks?

Hon. S. Malcolmson: Our government wants everybody to do better. Our government has

had poverty reduction at the core of its work since we formed government

in 2017.

We have increased the rates, ones that were stalled out for a very

long time before. We have legislated poverty reduction. We have exceeded

our legislated poverty reduction targets. That includes lifting 104,000

children out of poverty.

There is more to do, and we are determined to do it. The throne

speech speaks to our commitment to supporting the most vulnerable

people. That is further work that is ahead of us, notwithstanding the

action that has been taken, year after year, the five years that we’ve

been in government, and notwithstanding the very heavy toll of global

inflation and the crushing increases in food prices that mean that the

people in the deepest poverty still need more help. We are continuing to

do it.

[3:15 p.m.]

HEALTH CARE SERVICES IN KAMLOOPS

AND STATUS OF

OBSTETRICS CLINIC

T. Stone: Health care in Kamloops has collapsed — two in five, or 45,000,

residents without a family doctor, no walk-in clinics, a regional

hospital that is supposed to be a tertiary hospital that serves an area

of over 225,000 square kilometres and is consistently over 120 percent

capacity and an ER that is stretched beyond capacity every single

day.

Now expectant mothers and families face yet another crisis. The

Thompson Region Family Obstetrics Clinic, which delivers 60 percent of

the babies born each month in Kamloops, has just announced that it is no

longer accepting any patients with due dates beyond July 31. They’ve

made this announcement after nearly a year of raising the alarm with

this government. This comes less than a month after another clinic, Sage

Hills, also announced its impending closure.

Obviously, expectant mothers are scared, and they have nowhere to

go. Kristin is 15 weeks pregnant and unable to obtain the prenatal care

that she needs. She applied to local clinics as soon as she found out

she was pregnant. They were all unable to take her. And now, having been

referred to the Thompson Region Clinic over seven weeks ago, she has

discovered that the clinic is closing, leaving her without any options

for prenatal care.

I would point out that she is one of the 45,000 residents in

Kamloops that does not have a family doctor. She says: “I have been told

I can attend our local, overcrowded emergency department if I need

care.”

My question is to the Premier. What is the Premier going to do to

urgently fix this absolutely unacceptable lack of prenatal care in a

city of 110,000, the city of Kamloops?

Hon. A. Dix: As the Minister of Health, I recognize that the Thompson Region

Family Obstetrics Clinic is critical to the people of Kamloops and

people of the region. It’s why we’ve worked with family doctors, in

particular, over the last year to change the very funding arrangements

that are one of the key sources of the problem. It’s a plan that has

been supported by 94 percent of doctors across the province. It’s to

move away from fee-for-service models to models that reflect the work

done by people in communities.

That is what we’re doing, and I’m happy to report that more than

1,800 family doctors have joined, which is more than 41 percent of

existing family doctors.

Interior Health, the Ministry of Health and I are specifically

supportive of alternative payment models for those working at this

clinic. We are hard at work to ensure that this problem is resolved,

that this issue is resolved, and that services to expectant mothers and

everyone served by the clinic are maintained.

GOVERNMENT ACTION ON ISSUES

IN HEALTH CARE

SYSTEM

P. Milobar: Well, the crisis at this Thompson Region Family Obstetrics Clinic

has been brewing for over a year, and it still hasn’t been solved by

this government. But once again, they need to get it to a crisis before

they’ll even acknowledge it. They are continually lurching from crisis

to crisis, failing to fix any of them.

We’ve heard about the 45,000 people in Kamloops without a family

doctor, but we have rotating ER closures in Clearwater and Merritt and

health centres in Barriere and Ashcroft putting incredible strain on

that same hospital in Kamloops, because it is the hospital for the

broader region.

Just yesterday in Merritt, their ER closed again, and in fact, the

community found out after it was already closed. To make matters worse,

yesterday the Coquihalla between Kamloops and Merritt was a nightmare.

It was bad enough when I drove down on a Monday. It was worse yesterday.

A senior citizen with pneumonia and her 80-year-old husband had to drive

to Kamloops on those roads just to try to seek medical help, through the

snowstorm.

How much longer will the people of Merritt, Kamloops, Barriere,

Ashcroft, Williams Lake, Clinton and Cache Creek have to keep suffering

at the hands of this government’s incompetence, and when will this

Premier and minister stop with the platitudes and actually get on with

fixing the problem?

Hon. A. Dix: This government, and I think everybody in the region, is

incredibly supportive of the staff of the Nicola Valley regional

hospital.

[3:20 p.m.]

I would say this. What occurred yesterday is what has happened

from time to time, and that’s why we’re working hard to ensure long-term

solutions.

What happened yesterday was that a staff person, at the last

minute, was unable to attend. A doctor was unable to attend the ER, so

it was required, in order to ensure patient safety, to take the action

that was taken. Of course, the very roads mentioned by the hon. member

affect people’s ability to come in and support that.

What’s happened in Kamloops, what’s happened everywhere during

this pandemic, is extraordinary work by health care workers. There are

70 more, net, working, for example, at Royal Inland Hospital today. The

member refers to Clearwater, a problem that we all worked very hard to

resolve. He talks about closures. There haven’t been any closures since

Labour Day, because people worked together — the community, the health

care workers, Interior Health, myself, the mayor, everybody — to see

that that situation was addressed. We have to continue to do

that.

We have 38,000 more health care workers than when I was appointed

Minister of Health, to address the enormous challenges we’ve had in this

period, and especially now during the pandemic. I think those health

care workers are doing an exceptional job. We have to do more. That’s

why we’ve taken action after action after action to support people in

communities across British Columbia.

S. Bond: No one in this Legislature is questioning the incredible work that

is done by health care professionals. What they want this minister to

understand is that they are burnt out, they are overworked, and they

want this minister to stand up and do something to help them.

The people of Merritt are worried, rightly so, and they are fed up

that they don’t even have basic medical services. For the minister to

say that happens from time to time…. He knows full well that emergency

rooms across rural British Columbia have closed time after time. In

fact, the mayor of Merritt believes that the emergency room will be

looking at 50 closures in the next year. That is hardly something that

happens from time to time.

Let’s look at the Eagle Ridge Hospital in Port Moody. It’s another

example of B.C.’s collapsing health care system. Nurses there are

compelled to work 26-hour shifts, and they have an emergency department

with only half the staff that they require. The minister knows that

there are 5,500 nursing vacancies in B.C. That has increased by 25

percent, conveniently, over the last 100 days.

What British Columbians are experiencing under this Premier is

that results are getting worse. ERs are closing. People are worried sick

about the health care system. And what are we doing in the Legislature?

The NDP is absolutely insistent on filibustering a two-clause bill that

everyone in this Legislature supports. That is shameful. Maybe the

Premier would like to get up and have a discussion about the health care

crisis, the housing crisis, the affordability crisis — anything other

than a two-clause bill.

Will the Premier answer to British Columbians today? Lots of talk,

little action and worse results. When is he going to do something that

will improve health care outcomes in this province?

Hon. D. Eby: I thank the member for the question. I know for British

Columbians, access to a family doctor and making sure they have access

to emergency care is front of mind for them across British Columbia

right now. We know the impact of the pandemic has been profound on

health care workers. We know that they’re stressed out and burned out

and working long hours.

We know that we need to bring more people into the system to get

them the support they need. Members will have seen action taken by our

government before my time, and in the first 100 days since I’ve been

appointed Premier, to get those folks into our health care

system.

[3:25 p.m.]

First of all, internationally trained nurses — 2,000 nurses tied

up at the College of Nurses trying to get approved to work in our health

care system — want to work right now. The Minister of Health, with the

college, working to fast-track those nurses to get them in. Instead of

two to three years to get into the system, a target of as little as

three months to get them into the system. Getting rid of the financial

barriers that stop them from going to get their skills assessed or

paying for the training course to get up to speed.

B.C. nurses who maybe have stopped practising — covering costs for

them to travel to get assessed, covering their assessment costs,

covering their training so they can get to work.

The same for internationally trained doctors, so they can work

under the supervision of a B.C. doctor right away and they’re not

waiting years to do retraining when they meet those standards. When

they’re ready to practise right away, fast-track assessment for them

through the College of Physicians and Surgeons.

Beyond that, the Health Minister talked about the

ground­breaking deal with Doctors of B.C. for family doctors. This

is a huge thing, incenting people to take more patients, to work longer

hours, to support more British Columbians in the kind of family practice

that people deserve. We are taking those actions. We recognize that this

is a serious issue in our health care system.

I took ministers to Ottawa to talk directly with the Prime

Minister and key ministers about the issues facing British Columbia,

where we need a strong federal partner. Health was certainly one of

them, and then we joined with all the Premiers across Canada, that are

all facing this issue, to pressure the federal government on the exact

same thing. We’re going to keep working for British Columbians every

single day until every British Columbian gets the care they

deserve.

[End of question period.]

Standing Order 35

REQUEST TO DEBATE A MATTER OF

URGENT PUBLIC IMPORTANCE

STATUS OF HEALTH CARE SYSTEM

T. Stone: I move that, pursuant to Standing Order 35, the House do now

adjourn for the purpose of discussing a matter of definite and urgent

public importance — specifically, the response of the government of

British Columbia to the significant and worsening health care crisis

that’s gripping communities across our province.

Everyone in this House is well aware of the many and serious

health care challenges that are impacting literally millions of British

Columbians, and I’m sure that everyone in this House also agrees that

this crisis warrants maximum attention and debate in this place amongst

the 87 members of the Legislature.

Now, I say this against the backdrop of British Columbians who

have for days now been watching members of the government talk to

themselves on minor housekeeping pieces of legislation that actually

have the unanimous support of the parties in this chamber. Government

members have literally been filibustering their own bills to fill time,

due to an apparent lack of substantive legislation being in front of

this House for our consideration.

I would also take this moment to point out that it is absolutely

within the purview of the Government House Leader, if the government

doesn’t have legislation ready to go — clearly, they haven’t; again, not

introducing any bills today — there are a series of private members’

bills, frankly, that have been put on the order paper from all three

official parties in this place. It could be an option for the Government

House Leader to call any one of these private members’ bills.

He could call Bill M201, the Provincial Sales Tax (Used Passenger

Vehicles) Amendment Act, 2023, which the member for Kamloops–North

Thompson brought forward, that reduces the tax burden on the purchase of

used cars. He could call the Equal Pay Reporting Act, which the member

for Kelowna-Mission has put on the order paper. He could call the

Provincial Symbols and Honours Amendment Act, 2023, which was put on the

order paper by the member for Courtenay-Comox — or one of the bills that

the Green member, or even an NDP member, has put on the order

paper.

Mr. Speaker: Member, thank you for the brief statement. May I have the written

statement, so that I can review it, please?

T. Stone: May I just finish my statement?

Mr. Speaker: Go ahead.

T. Stone: Thank you, Speaker.

That all being said, the tremendous challenges in B.C.’s health

care system, which are costing lives at this point, are creating much

pain and stress for patients and families across the province — issues

like the one that we just canvassed in question period moments ago,

along with the fact that one in five British Columbians don’t have a

doctor.

Hospitals are in total chaos. Emergency rooms are closing

routinely around the province. People are losing their lives because of

ambulance delays, the worst walk-in clinic times in the country,

understaffed urgent and primary care centres, 5,500 nursing vacancies in

B.C. as we speak, delays for medical imaging, one million people

wait-listed to see specialists…

[3:30 p.m.]

Mr. Speaker: Member.

T. Stone: …and cancer care wait times that are amongst the worst in Canada.

I could go on, but I won’t. It is imperative that members of this House

get on in debating the pressing issues that are facing British

Columbians.

In

summary, this government is wasting precious legislative

time…

Mr. Speaker: Thank you, Member.

T. Stone: while it hasn’t been doing enough to address the health care

crisis.

Mr. Speaker: Thank you.

T. Stone: It is my hope that this emergency debate will enable us to get to

the core of the health care crisis and work together…

Mr. Speaker: Thank you.

T. Stone: …on how we fix it.

Mr. Speaker: Member, may I have the written statement, please?

Thank you, Member.

Pursuant to Standing Order 35, I will review the member’s written

statement to ensure that it meets the requirements of Standing Order 35,

and I will return with my decision later on today.

We shall continue.

T. Stone: I just think the House would appreciate knowing if the government

consents to this emergency debate proceeding or not.

Mr. Speaker: Member, as per Standing Order 35, the Chair is to receive this

written statement, and the Chair will review it. Then the Chair will

return later on today to decide if it meets the requirements. Then we

will continue after that.

Interjection.

Mr. Speaker: Shhh.

Orders of the Day

Hon. R. Kahlon: I call continued reading of Bill 8, second reading of Bill 8, Real Estate

Services Amendment Act, 2023.

Second Reading of Bills

BILL 8 — REAL ESTATE SERVICES

AMENDMENT ACT, 2023

(continued)

Hon. J. Whiteside: When we left off debate on Bill 8 yesterday, I was just concluding

my comments with respect to the benefits of the prime objective of Bill

8, with respect to the Real Estate Foundation. This is to ensure that it

can operate fulsomely, that we are removing it from the restrictions of

being a government reporting entity and changing the governance

structure to more appropriately respond to the opportunities for the

incredible work that is done by the foundation.

To finish off, I’m wanting to again connect this work to the

importance of my community of New Westminster, to the work that my

constituents are involved in and concerned with, particularly when it

comes to the work around the watershed initiative run by the Real Estate

Foundation, the connection to the Fraser River, to salmon habitat and my

deep gratitude to the work of the Real Estate Foundation in this

regard.

[J. Tegart in the chair.]

With that, I will again express my support for the bill and leave

my comments there.

Hon. K. Conroy: Seeing as there’s no further discussion on this debate, I move

second reading.

Motion approved.

Hon. K. Conroy: I move that the bill be referred to a Committee of the Whole House

to be considered at the next sitting of the House after

today.

Bill 8, Real Estate Services Amendment Act, 2023, read a second time

and referred to a Committee of the Whole House for consideration at the next

sitting of the House after today.

Hon. H. Bains: I call second reading, Bill 7.

BILL 7 — LAND OWNER TRANSPARENCY

AMENDMENT ACT,

Hon. K. Conroy: I move that Bill 7 be read a second time now.

The purpose of the proposed amendments to the Land Owner

Transparency Act is to address legislative, interpretive and

administrative issues that have risen since the legislation came into

force. The Land Owner Transparency Act is a first-of-its-kind

legislation in Canada. The legislation was introduced and passed in

2019, and implementation began in November of 2020.

[3:35 p.m.]

The legislation created the land owner transparency registry, a

publicly searchable database of information about beneficial ownership

of land in British Columbia. Beneficial land owners are people who own

or control land indirectly, such as through a corporation, partnership

or trust.

The registry is intended to end the hidden ownership of land in

B.C. This registry is one of the ways the province began working to end

the hidden ownership of land and to address money laundering in B.C. and

is part of other substantial actions the government has undertaken and

is currently considering in its commitment to combat money laundering in

the province.

The implementation of the legislation and the registry delivered

on the government’s commitment in the 30-point plan for housing

affordability to end the hidden ownership of land. Implementation of the

registry has been a success. Hundreds of thousands of transparency

records have been filed with the registry.

For years, people were able to obscure property ownership in a

variety of ways, using shell companies, trusts and partnerships. This

obscuring of ownership made it easier to launder money and evade taxes.

The Expert Panel on Money Laundering in B.C. Real Estate noted, in its

report, that improving beneficial ownership transparency is “the single

most important measure that can be taken to combat money

laundering.”

The Land Owner Transparency Act, since it came into force in

November of 2020, has made B.C. a leader with respect to beneficial

ownership transparency. B.C. is the first jurisdiction in Canada to

implement a registry for the beneficial ownership of land and is one of

a few similar registries in the world. In fact, at a recent meeting of

all federal, provincial and territorial Finance Ministers held in

Toronto, we talked about this very act and the importance of it. Other

members at the meeting wanted to know the relevance of it. They are

considering similar acts across the country because of the importance of

what we are doing.

We’ve seen, in the past, the concerns that can arise when the

ownership of land is not transparent. In 2016, Transparency

International Canada released a report that showed nearly one-third of

the 100 most valuable residential properties in greater Vancouver were

owned by shell companies.

These concerns about hidden ownership were further raised in other

reports and data leaks, things like the Panama Papers and the Paradise

Papers. These examples highlighted Canada’s reputation as an attractive

place for setting up anonymous companies and hidden wealth.

Under the Land Owner Transparency Act, all new purchasers of land

are required to submit a transparency declaration indicating whether or

not they are a reporting body. This means that since the legislation

came into force, all relevant corporations, trustees and partners have

been required to identify themselves on the declaration and file a

transparency report whenever there is a transfer of land in the

province.

We also require reporting bodies to submit new transparency

reports when there is a change in interest holders. This can occur even

when there is no change to the legal title of the property. It may

occur, for example, when a shareholder sells their shares to another

individual.

Not only have we seen improved transparency with all new property

transactions since the legislation came into force, but in November of

last year, we passed the deadline for pre-existing owners to file

transparency information. Under the legislation, all relevant

corporations, trustees and partners that owned land in B.C. before the

legislation came into force were required to submit a transparency

report identifying beneficial owners.

We have received thousands of reports from corporations, trustees

and partners that purchased property in the past, providing information

about individual beneficial owners and giving us a much clearer picture

of land ownership in British Columbia. We are proud to be the first

jurisdiction in Canada to implement this type of registry.

This legislation addresses interpretive and administrative

concerns with the legislation encountered by staff and members of the

public since the registry was developed. This is part of the process

with new legislation, and this is especially critical for legislation

that is breaking new ground and addressing a complex issue like

beneficial ownership.

[3:40 p.m.]

As I already mentioned, the land owner transparency registry is

one of the first in the world. We have created a publicly accessible

registry that provides high-level information about beneficial owners

similar to the type of information that is publicly available through a

search of the land title office.

Prior to the Land Owner Transparency Act coming into force, a

person could search the land title office and find information about an

individual who directly owns property but would find no information

about an individual who purchased a property through a corporation,

trustee or partner in a partnership.

We have also allowed access to detailed information by law

enforcement, tax authorities and certain regulators for certain

purposes. This information can help those authorities crack down on tax

evasion and identify tax fraud and money laundering.

These amendments to the Land Owner Transparency Act are about

continuing to improve this legislation to ensure it’s doing what it’s

intended to do in the most efficient way. The proposed amendments make

changes to the legislation to improve data quality, reduce

administrative burden under the act and clarify the province’s position

on a number of legislative interpretive questions that have been raised

by various stakeholders and about certain provisions in the

act.

The amendments that I’m proposing today will do several things.

First, the amendments will clarify the filing requirements when a

reporting body is both a partner in a relevant partnership and the

trustee of a relevant trust. This is necessary because currently the act

does not contemplate a reporting body that is both a partner in a

relevant partnership and the trustee of a relevant trust. This has led

to confusion amongst reporting bodies regarding the information they’re

required to include in a transparency report.

Moving forward, when completing a transparency report, the

proposed amendments will require that when a reporting body is both a

trustee of a relevant trust and a partner in a relevant partnership, the

reporting body should file as a partner in a relevant partnership if the

land is partnership property. This proposed change will provide clarity

and certainty to reporting bodies and will improve administrative

efficiency of the system.

Secondly, the amendments will create the ability to submit a

corrected transparency declaration, a document identifying whether a

transferee is a reporting body under the act. This amendment is needed

because, at times, human error has resulted in incorrect information

being included in a transparency record. Unfortunately, the legislation

does not currently allow a reporting body to file an updated

transparency declaration, even if the information contained in the

original is incorrect.

An example of where this can occur is when a wrong parcel

identifier is included in a transparency report, which can happen from

time to time, or a transferee is designated as a non-reporting body when

that is not the case, because currently the legislation does not allow a

reporting body to file an updated transparency declaration. This

incorrect information is registered in the registry and not updated. If

the proposed amendments are passed, a transferee may file a new

transparency declaration to correct information contained in a

transparency declaration previously filed.

Thirdly, the amendments will also ensure that the certification

requirements capture entities that are neither individuals nor

corporations. The act sets out provisions for certifying transparency

declarations and reports. These requirements are set out in the act

because under the act, to confirm the truthfulness of a filing, an

individual with knowledge of the matters contained in the report must

certify the information.

Unfortunately, the way the legislation is currently drafted, it

does not contemplate certifications by entities that are not considered

corporations under the act, such as a corporation sole. Instead, as

drafted, the act only contemplates a transferee who is an individual,

corporation or limited liability company. So the amendments will ensure

that the certification provisions apply to all types of entities that

will be completing transparency records.

[3:45 p.m.]

Fourth, these amendments will remove the requirement to indicate

on a transparency report the date on which an individual ceased to be an

interest holder. An interest holder is a beneficial owner who meets the

thresholds under the act requiring them to be reported to the registry.

Currently, the legislation only requires information about current

interest holders in the transparency report. This means there is no need

to indicate the date that a person ceased to be an interest holder, as

there is always a requirement to update the transparency report when

interest holders have changed.

Fifth, the amendments will remove the requirement for a trustee of

a relevant trust to file a transparency report if all interest holders

are registered on title. Where an interest in land is registered in the

names of all beneficial owners, submitting a transparency declaration

does not increase land transparency, as all beneficial owners are

already publicly identified.

If there are no hidden owners, then it is not necessary to

identify them in a transparency report to achieve the intended policy

outcome of the act. The proposed amendments remove the requirement to

file a transparency report in these specific circumstances, reducing the

administrative burden on property owners.

Sixth, the amendments will update

schedule 1 of the act, which

sets out corporations and limited liability companies excluded from the

definition of a “relevant corporation” to more closely reflect language

in the Business Corporations Regulation. Under the Business Corporations

Act, qualifying companies must maintain a transparency register with

similar information that is contained in a transparency report under the

LOTA.

Section 47 of the Business Corporations Regulation, under the

Business Corporations Act, sets out exclusions from the requirement to

maintain a transparency registry for private companies.

Schedule 1 of

the LOTA sets out similar entities that are excluded from the definition

of a “relevant corporation” and therefore not required to file a

transparency report. This proposed change ensures consistency across the

two acts.

Lastly, Madam Speaker, the amendments allow the surveyor of taxes

to submit a transparency declaration to the registry on behalf of a

transferee. This change helps ensure that basic information about a

property and a transferee are captured when a property that was

forfeited to the province is returned to the former owner, once all

outstanding taxes have been paid.

As I mentioned, these proposed amendments don’t change the

underlying policy of the act. These amendments will ensure that the

registry continues to operate effectively and efficiently in support of

better land transparency in British Columbia. These amendments will

improve the efficiency of operational and administrative processes

occurring under the act, reduce confusion amongst filers and protect the

quality of data being sent to and stored in the registry.

I’d also like to note that improving data quality and the

administration of the act, as Bill 7 proposes, doesn’t uniquely affect

the Indigenous rights described in the UN declaration. By introducing

this bill, we will improve the administration of the Land Owner

Transparency Act and registry and continue our commitment to end hidden

ownership of land in British Columbia.

I think this is part of our work to help end money laundering in

our province, and I truly believe that that is something that every

member of this House wants to end. It was a key recommendation from the

report, and I hope that members will see the beneficial nature of the

amendments to this act and that they will get up and speak to it. I

believe that everyone in this House has concerns about money laundering.

I mean, we passed bills ensuring that we can stop this, and I believe

that members will want to talk about this and talk about the

effects.

I know when I was talking…. When the money

laun­der­ing had come up, it was on the news. I just

happened to have…. I’m going to try to add some levity to the process. I

had some of my grandchildren staying with me, and the news was on. We

were making dinner and talking, and one of them asked me: “Why do people

want to wash their money, Granny?”

I had to explain to them that it had nothing to do with washing

their money, but it actually was people that were hiding what they were

doing with their money. They were doing it in inappropriate ways, and

they were doing inappropriate things with that money.

[3:50 p.m.]

The story came on about the bags of money getting taken into

casinos in hockey bags. They, of course, didn’t understand that either,

because from their perspective, the only good use for a hockey bag is to

carry your hockey equipment to play hockey. It’s just interesting, the

perspective.

We have to continue to ensure that we have legislation in place

that is going to stop money laundering in this province. Not only will

the Land Owner Transparency Act do that, but the amendments to this act

will ensure that we will stop money laundering in this province and

ensure that the people that are using property to hide money will no

longer be able to do that. This bill will do that. The amendments to

this bill will do that.

Part of when you pass legislation, as you work through it and it

comes into…. You recognize that there are additions to the bill that

need to be made, amendments that need to be made. That is exactly what

we’re doing: to ensure that we can continue to end money laundering in

this province, which I think is really critical. I would hope that every

member of the House would feel that it is just as critical as we

do.

P. Milobar: I’m happy to take my place to speak to Bill 7, the Land Owner

Transparency Amendment Act, 2023. When I heard the minister introduce

this bill in the House a few days ago, her words of introduction were,

“The purpose of this bill is to amend the Land Owner Transparency Act to

address minor legislative, interpretive and technical issues that have

arisen since the legislation came into force.”

I thought it was pretty clear that this would be a relatively

quick second reading debate, so that we could actually get into the meat

of the bill in committee stage, where the real work starts to happen, in

terms of better understanding what this bill actually means and the

impacts it may have.

That said, given what we’ve seen happening with Bill 8 and

the filibustering there, I’d just like to inform the Deputy Speaker that

I will be our designated speaker for this bill. I would hate for the

government to think that the opposition does not read through the

bills.

A few things I’ll just start off with. This is coupled with the

minister’s introduction comments when she introduced this bill for the

first time into this House, which would have been the first time that

opposition saw this. For people viewing at home, the opposition does not

see bills ahead of time. It’s very rare. Sometimes we might get an

embargoed copy of something that’s very large and significant in nature.

Generally speaking, for all legislation, when we see it, it is the first

time the public sees it, as well as opposition.

Typical practice would be that government would then provide a

briefing, for the opposition, on that bill so that we could better

understand and be better able to provide comments at second reading, at

this stage, where you’ll often hear people talk for 20 minutes or 30

minutes on a particular bill. By then, the critic and others in our

caucus would have been briefed. We could inform the rest of our caucus

of some of the finer points on a bill and be able to move forward with

our comments, based around that understanding.

Now, as typical with government, if the bill is deemed to be

minor, even within the government, a lot of times those briefings don’t

happen. That’s understandable, because the bill is seen to be somewhat

housekeeping, as the minister said, addressing “minor legislative,

interpretive and technical issues.” That briefing wouldn’t necessarily

be offered.

Despite this being introduced on a Thursday after lunch, which is

highly unusual…. Usually it would have been introduced on the Thursday

morning, when the chamber was full and the government could bask in the

glory of their 57 members clapping for the bill being introduced and

moving forward to this stage. Instead, it was introduced at one o’clock,

after lunch on a Thursday, just before we adjourned four hours early for

the week because we’d run out of business to work on in this

place.

We reached out and asked for a briefing, not just on this bill but

also on Bill 8. They were introduced at the same time, back to back.

That was on Thursday, heading into the long weekend. Friday was not the

holiday, however. No briefing was provided.

The briefings these days are typically over Zoom, so although I

was already travelling back to Kamloops, I could have easily

accommodated a Zoom meeting briefing. In fact, I’ve often taken Zoom

meetings on the side of the highway in a parking lot, with a Wi-Fi

hotspot and my laptop. You’re still able to conduct the business that

you need to as an elected official.

[3:55 p.m.]

When you couple the minister’s introductory words last Thursday

with the fact that there was no briefing, all through a long weekend, to

get us to, essentially, the only two bills we’re going to talk about

this week, apparently — Bill 7 and Bill 8 — it makes one, by the

government’s own actions, just realize how much housekeeping this bill

actually is.

Now, I can put the minister’s mind at ease. The original

legislation — we, as the opposition, supported it. It passed in this

House without opposition. The concern, though, that we have is that

we’re going to see yet another afternoon taken up with debate after

debate, of the government side of the House talking to a bill where the

opposition actually doesn’t take issue with the concept of

it.

What we need, as opposition, is to get it to committee stage,

which can only happen once this phase of the bill has ended. Why that’s

important is that the longer this drags on — just like Bill 8 yesterday,

which has dragged on to the point that we can’t have committee stage on

that bill today, despite many, many questions we have on it — that’s

when we start being compressed for time. It’s because we will not have

the time afforded to us — as other legislation, hopefully, finally gets

to the floor of this chamber — to properly question Bill 7.

“Now, why is that important?” you might ask at home. Well, this is

a bill that is amending errors and omissions in a piece of legislation

that was brought forward in 2019. This is a bill trying to correct

errors in that legislation.

One could argue that if we weren’t so rushed at the committee

stage, where we can question, where we can better understand the clauses

and where we can try to find…. Sometimes it’s just cut-and-paste errors

from the drafting service, where there were different drafts of the bill

as it was getting worked through various processes, and one clause got

left in accidentally that shouldn’t have been. That’s where we find

those.

We don’t find that by the government trying to run the clock yet

again, today, on a bill that their own minister says is addressing minor

legislative, interpretive, technical issues from a flawed piece of

legislation they introduced in 2019. In fact, most of these housekeeping

bills we’ve dealt with this session are correcting errors in this

government’s previous legislation that they brought forward.

That’s why committee stage is so critical. That’s why debate at

second reading for the sake of debate at second reading is actually

running out a clock on the opposition being able to properly do their

job and properly scrutinize legislation.

Time and again we have been able to