First Session, 43rd Parliament

Official Report

of Debates

( Hansard )

Thursday, March 6, 2025

Afternoon Sitting

Issue No. 19

The Honourable Raj Chouhan , Speaker

ISSN 1499-2175

The HTML transcript is provided for informational purposes only.

The PDF transcript remains the official digital version.

Contents

Routine Business

Tributes

Alice Maitland

Hon. Brittny Anderson

Theresa Janice Lowther

Hon. Mike Farnworth

Introduction and First Reading of Bills

Bill 6 — Supply Act (No. 1), 2025

Hon. Brenda Bailey

Orders of the Day

Budget Debate (continued)

Larry Neufeld

Hon. Garry Begg

Elenore Sturko

Hon. Spencer Chandra Herbert

Kiel Giddens

Rohini Arora

Pete Davis

Hon. Laanas / Tamara Davidson

Linda Hepner

Hon. Jagrup Brar

Thursday, March 6, 2025

The House met at 1:02 p.m.

[The Speaker in the chair.]

Routine Business

Tributes

Alice Maitland

Hon. Brittny Anderson : Today it is my honour to celebrate a life well-lived. Alice Maitland served as the

longest-serving mayor in B.C. history, and she passed away in Hazelton on February

26. She was 91 years old. Alice was the mayor of Hazelton for 41 straight years and

on council for six years before that, for a total of 47 years in municipal government.

She was also an original director on the regional district of Kitimat-Stikine board,

created in 1967, and served there for more than four decades.

It wasn’t just about the longevity of her local government service that stood out

but the quality and leadership she brought to the job. She was kind, generous and

also steadfast and determined. Some would even say “fierce,” but in a good way. I

think it’s great to be fierce. Package these attributes together, along with a small

stature and a usually soft voice, and the impact was disarming to those in powerful

positions with opposing views, who didn’t expect such a force of nature when they

first encountered Alice.

She never seemed daunted about expressing herself publicly and wasn’t easily intimidated,

which served her well in her early years in municipal government, when in most rural

areas it was a scene dominated by white men. She was a magnet for people who wanted

things to be better, and mentored and encouraged many in leadership roles, especially

women.

Alice was often a lone voice speaking out for rural communities, seeking better practices

and more control over nearby timber extraction activities that sustained not only

local services but provincial programs. She linked that work to the ongoing fight

for First Nations rights and title. Neither were especially popular positions amongst

other rural local government leaders when she began, but the trail that she blazed

is now endorsed by one and all.

Alice had a foot in both settler and First Nations cultures. Her father settled in

Hazelton as a teen and eventually started a trucking business. Alice’s extended family

includes many Gitxsan and other First Nation members.

Alice is what we call today place-based. Her love of land, her family and the extended

community began early. After attending Prairie Bible College, she returned to Hazelton

and was enlisted by Polly to assist with Hazelton’s incorporation. She eventually

ran successfully to become municipal councillor in 1965.

[1:05 p.m.]

Alice’s internal strength and commitment to community sometimes ran her afoul of those

leading the province. Two stories were shared with me, but because of time I can’t

share those today.

Alice could be very feisty when it came to addressing injustices and defending her

community, but there was always a gentleness and compassion as the first way of approaching

an issue. Those traits sprang from a deep love of family.

To the people closest to Alice, including her daughter, the current mayor of Hazelton,

Julie, who I got to meet in January: I am so sorry for your loss.

Alice was a touchstone to many around the province. She will be missed, yet the spirit

of determination she instilled in others will carry on her legacy.

Theresa Janice Lowther

Hon. Mike Farnworth : I rise today to pay a tribute to Theresa Janice Lowther, known as Hu’hüüłk.

Theresa Janice Lowther, née Bolton, was born on the 20th of May, 1951, in Hartley

Bay, Gitga’at First Nation. Her first language was Sm̓algya̱x. She grew up deeply rooted in her Gitga’at heritage, learning to harvest traditional

foods, prepare seafood and navigate the feast hall with respect.

Her upbringing instilled in her a strong work ethic and a deep understanding of traditional

medicines and customs. Her love and respect for her roots, her people and the land

were unwavering.

Theresa attended the Hartley Bay school until she was about 11 years old, and she

was then sent to West Vancouver as part of the Sixties Scoop to attend boarding school,

as was her brother. After the family moved from their ancestral land to the Prince

Rupert area, Theresa and her brother were allowed to return home to their family and

attend a local public school.

Theresa worked diligently at several jobs before in her true passion, teaching. She

returned to school to earn her teaching degree, leading to a lifelong commitment to

teach Sm̓algya̱x. From 1997 to 2016, she taught the language in the school district, though her work

extended far beyond these years. She played a vital role in preserving and revitalizing

Sm̓algya̱x, contributing to the Tsimshian Sm̓algya̱x language authority and the Aboriginal education council.

She worked tirelessly to shape policies that strengthened Indigenous education, attended

international language conferences in New Zealand, Hawaii, Alabama and beyond. However,

none of those accolades compare to the love and pride she had for her students.

Theresa retired from teaching in 2016 and gradually moved to Victoria to be closer

to her children and grandchildren. Even in retirement, she remained deeply involved

in language preservation, mentoring students and working with the Wa̱p Sig̱atgyet, House of Building Strength, the Indigenous education department in the Prince Rupert

school district and the Tsimshian community in Metlakatla, Alaska.

She once said: “I will never turn anyone away who is willing to learn.” She took great

pride in mentoring young language learners and guiding family members in cultural

traditions.

After a brave fight with cancer, Theresa passed away on the 26th of November, 2024,

at the age of 73. Theresa’s legacy lives on through the language she taught, the stories

she shared and the love she poured into her family and community. Her voice echoes

in recordings, her teachings, enduring books, and her impact is forever carried by

those she mentored and loved.

She was a respected knowledge holder, fluent speaker, devoted teacher, mentor, colleague,

friend and, most importantly, a loving wife, mother, grandmother, sister and auntie.

Introduction and

First Reading of Bills

Bill 6 — Supply Act ( No. 1), 2025

Hon. Brenda Bailey presented a message from His Honour the Administrator: a bill intituled

Supply Act (No. 1), 2025.

Hon. Brenda Bailey : I move that Bill 6, the Supply Act (No. 1), 2025, be introduced and read a first

time now.

Bill 6 provides interim supply for ministry operations and other appropriations for

approximately the first three months of the 2025-2026 fiscal year.

[1:10 p.m.]

Bill 6 also provides interim supply for a portion of government’s anticipated financing

requirements for the 2025-2026 fiscal year, including an amount equaling one-third

of fiscal year 2025-2026 estimated capital expenditures, loans, investments, and other

financing requirements and the full amount of the year’s estimated disbursements for

revenues collected on behalf of and transferred to specific programs and entities.

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

Motion approved.

Hon. Brenda Bailey : I move that Bill 6 be placed on the orders of the day for second reading at the next

sitting in the House after today.

Motion approved.

Orders of the Day

Hon. Mike Farnworth : I call continued debate on the budget.

Budget Debate

(continued)

Larry Neufeld : For those who are riveted to their television screens and those that, I’m sure, were

waiting outside the chamber to hear the rest of what I have to say, I’ll bring you

up to speed on where we left off. Essentially, I was talking about my beautiful region

of South Peace and discussing some of the significant issues that we are experiencing

up in the area.

Fire protection has been one of the more significant ones. The Pine Pass, a good portion

of which is in the South Peace…. For those of you that may or may not be aware of

where the Pine Pass is, it’s actually the major or the only pass through the Rocky

Mountains between Prince George and Dawson Creek.

The pass has seen untold devastation from the pine beetle kill. Thousands of hectares

of timber were left to rot while standing while the Northern Initial Fire Attack Crew

were moved from Chetwynd to Dawson Creek, a distance of approximately one hour further

away. The communities of Powder King and Chetwynd are now exposed to a higher potential

for a Jasper-style wildfire situation, thanks to the NDP.

Owning a recreation property in the community of Powder King, my wife and I have seriously

been discussing removing any and all mementos that we have at that property, simply

due to the very high risk of fire hazard.

By moving the northern initial fire attack further afield, the NDP have placed homes,

property and, indeed, lives at risk. During a drive out to our vacation property in

the Pine Pass last summer, my wife and I passed a small plume of smoke on the left-hand

side of the mountain road. In the following hour that it had taken us to reach our

final destination, a major fire had consumed a good portion of the valley. Our family

needlessly was frantic to identify whether we were safe or not at that point.

[Mable Elmore in the chair.]

Why does this government continue to squander our forest resource? Why does this NDP

government continue to put lives at risk through their thoughtless management of our

firefighting resources?

Another very significant issue in the South Peace is that of the Taylor Bridge. For

those of you that again may or may not be familiar with the region, the South Peace

is bordered to the north by the mighty Peace, which holds the Site C dam and two other

hydroelectric-generating dams as well, the latest of course being Site C that has

the third generator online now.

Within the South Peace, there are currently, and only ever have been, three road crossings

of this navigable waterway. By far the busiest crossing is the metal deck bridge in

the community of Taylor, located between Dawson Creek and Fort St. John. The Taylor

Bridge has a span of 712 metres, and it has a maximum height of 75 metres above water.

It’s a significant bridge.

[1:15 p.m.]

This is the second bridge in this location. It was built in 1960, 65 years ago, and

it was built after the original bridge collapsed in 1957. The original bridge was

of wooden construction, built in the early 1940s, and even though it was built in

that location, the Peace River has been known to have unstable banks. A landslide

collapsed one of the bridge’s piers, causing a 122-metre

section to collapse into

the river. Fortunately, no vehicles were on the bridge at the time, and no one was

hurt.

Fast-forward to 2025, and 7,500 vehicles cross that bridge every day, including approximately

30 percent that are heavy commercial vehicles. The Taylor Bridge is the main arterial

for our farms, our mills and our mines. It is also the main access point for tourists

to get to the Alaska Highway.

This bridge is old and hurt. Years of neglect by this NDP government are adding up.

The bridge is showing serious signs of decay.

During the last election campaign, our team was shooting video, and the heavy traffic

caused the bridge to shake. Our camera operator screamed as the big trucks passed

by us. Crossmembers, presumably associated with a disused former subdeck pedestrian

walkway, have become detached over time, and they wave to and fro as heavy vehicles

cross the bridge, slapping the steel beside them as we go.

As a professional engineer, I’m going to share the Canadian history and story behind

the ring that I so proudly wear on the small finger of my right hand.

The steel used to create the first rings given to graduates of an engineering degree

program was taken from a bridge that collapsed during construction, resulting in a

large and tragic cost to life. The collapse was the result of faults both in the design

and the construction management process. The ring is worn on the writing hand of an

engineer as a reminder that diligent action is required to prevent the loss of life

to workers and the public.

As I leave this place to return home, I will drive across the Taylor Bridge, as I

have done many thousands of times before. Will this be the time when history repeats

itself and the bridge fails? Excessive annual repair to the deck results in many thousands

of dollars per hour in cost to the local economy due to excessive traffic backlog.

In my career as a professional engineer, and having completed emergency spill response,

I have crossed the Taylor Bridge on thousands of occasions over every conceivable

time frame. Many times when returning from a jobsite and being stopped in long lines

of traffic due to annual bridge deck welding, I would mentally calculate the cost

to our local economy due to all of the vehicles sitting and waiting to cross.

As a consultant, part of my job was approving and tracking costs. That vacuum truck

in the lead is $330 an hour; the crane behind it, $750 an hour; the crew truck in

front of that vehicle, $250 an hour; and it goes on and on. A kilometre or two worth

of large-dollar items. The losses to our economy are astronomical.

Why is the Taylor Bridge not even on the ten-year infrastructure plan of this government?

Do the NDP really need the bridge to fall down again before they act?

Rail access is another significant issue in the South Peace. I have heard from local

farmers that moving our product by road over great distances is a significant cost.

This makes our agricultural products less competitive, hurts our economy and costs

local jobs. If we want locally produced food here in British Columbia, rail access

to the coast must be a priority to ensure food security within B.C. Agricultural producers

desperately need adequate rail access to the communities of Chetwynd and Dawson Creek.

Carbon tax is another one that’s certainly a significant issue for me and for many,

many others as well, as northerners. The carbon tax punishes northern and rural communities.

Since the election in October, on multiple occasions, the temperature outside of my

home has reached minus 39 degrees Celsius; adding the wind chill, it feels closer

to minus 57. I stand in the window of my home looking at the windmills, and I notice

that they are not turning on very frequent occasions. The reason that they don’t turn

is due to operational restrictions in the cold. I reflect often on why I am being

punished by this NDP government for living in a northern climate.

[1:20 p.m.]

Carbon tax, reliably, has been double the actual cost of the natural gas that I burn

to heat my home over this past winter. Those who find that hard to believe are invited

to request an actual sample bill. You can get one from me or any of my constituents.

Yes, while the baseload in the electrical system is contributed by the presence of

the Site C dam located some 40 minutes drive from my home, and a number of wind projects

in my riding, many NDP members in this House may not be aware that heat pumps do not

operate below minus 25 degrees Celsius, which is a common winter temperature in the

area in which I live. Heat pumps alone are not a reliable option where I live.

Perhaps I should cut some of the wood on my property and burn it in a self-installed

— i.e., non-insured — wood stove. I’ve heard from neighbours who have gone in this

direction simply due to cost. I will leave it to those familiar with the particulate

emissions from wood stoves to decide if a marked increase in use serves the original

intent of the carbon tax. Perhaps the government wants me to install a used oil burning

stove in my shop. That’s happening as well.

I have a couple of minutes left, so rather than cut you short…. I know everybody’s

just waiting to hear what I have to say.

I stand in this place with pride in my heart to be here representing the fine hard-working

people of the South Peace. I commit, both to those who expressed confidence in me

and those who voted for someone else, to work tirelessly for the interests of all

residents of the area.

As a business owner, a professional, a father and a grandfather, I’m committed to

helping people to the best of my ability. I believe that the best way to do this is

to build a strong, robust and resilient economy with a reasonable tax environment.

I know that my constituents have a better understanding of how to spend their hard-earned

money than I do.

I don’t have time to tell you my story, so I will keep moving. I speak against this

budget speech because I believe strongly that the NDP simply does not understand how

the economy works. As a result, we are losing out on billions of dollars in investment.

I believe that it could take generations to reverse the damage done to our economy

by these lost investments. The people of B.C. deserve, and we demand, fiscal responsibility.

When my constituents are spending 25 percent of their provincial tax dollars to service

the provincial debt created by this government, who can sleep at night? Not me. What

legacy are we leaving our grandchildren? The NDP is leading us further down the path

of debt and lost opportunity.

I started my first business in B.C. approximately 20 years ago. I do not believe that

I could be successful starting that same business today, given the burden of red tape,

excessive regulation and punitive taxation introduced under this NDP government. I

speak against this budget speech as I have no confidence in the ability of this NDP

government to deliver for the economy or to deliver for the people of British Columbia.

Hon. Garry Begg : It’s my pleasure to be here today. Thank you for the opportunity to rise in response

to the budget speech, which I will support.

Before I begin, I want to acknowledge that we are gathered here in the territory of

the lək̓ʷəŋən people, including the Esquimalt and Songhees First Nations.

It’s an honour to stand and speak in response to the budget.

The speech made something very clear: we’re standing strong for B.C. in the face of

Donald Trump and his unfair tariffs. Our budget is a measured plan to protect jobs

and the services people rely on while preparing British Columbia’s economy to withstand

the unpredictable impact of unjustified tariffs.

This was a very challenging time to deliver a budget, with significant uncertainty

caused as the news about tariffs changed daily. While our economy is built to withstand

Trump’s tariffs better than most other provinces, the impact will still be very significant.

This budget carefully manages B.C.’s finances and makes investments in critical public

services to meet growing demand, putting people first and supporting businesses as

we build a stronger future.

[1:25 p.m.]

Police are a vital part of public safety, and we need to ensure that the public has

confidence in them. How police are viewed affects the public’s willingness to report

crimes, to cooperate with police investigations, to contact the police if victimized

and to abide by lawful police orders. Part of this work is modernizing police services

and ensuring they are fair, equitable and responsive to the needs of vulnerable groups.

Another

part is making sure police have the resources they need to keep communities

safe. That’s why this budget includes $28 million to support the RCMP to increase

their capacity to provide effective policing. There is also over $2 million for the

First Nations and Inuit policing programs to stabilize and improve services there.

Budget 2025 also provides $67 million to improve community safety. This includes funding

to expand training capacity at the Justice Institute of B.C. from 192 to 288 police

recruits a year. Supporting front-line municipal policing is our commitment to making

neighbourhoods and communities safer.

A few years ago, our government introduced the specialized investigation and targeted

enforcement initiative, known as SITE. SITE is helping police agencies expand their

abilities to crack down on repeat violent crime more effectively and to keep criminals

off our streets. Fifty-one SITE projects have been approved.

Police have told me that SITE has been a vital program to strengthen their investigations

into repeat offending cases and coordination between detachments and departments.

That’s why we’re providing funding to make sure SITE is available for police departments,

so that they can continue to address repeat violent offending, strengthen intervention

services and make sure that people get the support that they need.

We’re also allocating over $51 million for provincial police services and core policing

to ensure that we support law enforcement in British Columbia.

For more than half of my life, I’ve had the privilege of serving on the front lines

with the RCMP, including eight incredible years in Surrey. During that time, I developed

a deep appreciation of Surrey’s unique character, its rich culture, strong community

connections and the opportunities it offers to those who work and live here.

It’s a city defined by its vibrant diversity, boundless opportunities and a strong

sense of community, qualities that make it a place to call home. I’ve seen firsthand

how Surrey thrives off that diversity. This culture of inclusion strengthens our neighbourhood

and contributes to the character, community life and vibrancy that define Surrey.

I know the challenges the city is facing and the people and organizations who are

doing amazing work here. Surrey is the fastest growing and soon to be the largest

city in B.C., and I’m focused on getting these people the support they need. Built

from the ground up, the Surrey police service represents a new

chapter in law enforcement,

one that builds upon the success of the RCMP, a

chapter that brings together skilled

officers from different backgrounds across the country to ensure the safety and security

of the Surrey community.

As an officer, I saw firsthand how police work can benefit people in need. While there

is still work ahead to fully complete the transition, this government will continue

to provide support. That’s why $30 million will be provided for the Surrey police

service transition to continue.

People need to know they can rely on police, and I know that every officer puts their

life on the line day in and day out to keep people and businesses secure. That’s why

the funding that we’re providing in this budget to support the Surrey police transition

is so important.

[1:30 p.m.]

In the face of the recently implemented U.S. tariffs, we are focused on reducing costs

for families by locking in car insurance savings. As a public insurer, when ICBC is

financially strong and stable, we all do better. Our goal is to keep basic insurance

rates in our province affordable for all drivers. These rates will continue to be

held steady until March 31, 2026, marking six consecutive years with no increases.

As a Crown corporation, revenue that ICBC generates stays within B.C. to help keep

insurance rates low, to contribute to our province’s economic health and to support

local communities. Budget 2025 builds on this with the one-time $110 ICBC rate decrease

to eligible drivers. We expect people will receive that payment in April of 2025.

While the rebate will benefit the personal finances of people living in this province,

we understand that it’s but a small piece of good news during a very uncertain time.

In the wake of Trump’s tariffs, we understand the importance of supporting Canadian

businesses. Most of ICBC’s direct work is done with Canadian businesses, and they’re

exclusively working with Canadian vendors to make these rebates happen.

This will be ICBC’s fifth rebate since April 2021, delivering roughly $640 to eligible

customers. It’s possible because of sound financial management and better-than-expected

investment income.

ICBC employs thousands of people across the province, providing jobs and supporting

our economy. They also collaborate with a wide network of stakeholders, including

autobody and glass repair shops, insurance brokers, health care practitioners and

driving schools, generating additional income activity within this province.

ICBC’s enhanced-care model is approaching its four-year implementation mark, and we’re

working to ensure a comprehensive and independent review of the model being conducted.

Enhanced care provides drivers in our province with more affordable auto insurance

compared to the previous legal-based system, while also providing anyone injured in

a crash with improved care and recovery benefits.

As the system continues to evolve, we’re working with ICBC to make sure that we have

the best supports in place for people injured in car accidents, while maintaining

affordable auto insurance. That’s why ICBC’s insurance system follows a care-based

approach. Anyone injured in an accident, whether they’re a driver, passenger, motorcycle

rider, cyclist or pedestrian, can access benefits that support their recovery.

While care is available to all, regardless of who is responsible for an accident,

fault still matters, and accountability remains to be a key tenet of the enhanced-care

insurance model. Drivers who cause accidents or drive dangerously are still held accountable,

continuing to pay more for their insurance and potentially facing fines or other administrative

and criminal consequences.

B.C. isn’t the only province in Canada that uses a care-based insurance model. It’s

also used in Saskatchewan and Manitoba, and Alberta is adopting a similar model with

private insurance providers in 2027. However, keep in mind that we take concerns about

this model seriously. We’re listening and responding to feedback from all road users,

including drivers, pedestrians and cyclists, in addition to health care partners and

industry experts, to continuously improve and deliver the enhanced-care model.

To ensure public safety, we rely on important institutions like the B.C. Coroners

Service. They provide families with the answers they need when a loved one is tragically

taken from them, and they provide data to inform policy-makers in their decisions,

preventing future deaths and improving safety for people throughout the province.

[1:35 p.m.]

That’s why we are providing $1 million to support coroners and their operational pressures.

These include multi-year contracts required for body transport and storage, DNA testing

and inquests, management of dedicated body storage and coordination of field operations

and coroners’ investigations.

We will continue to support the B.C. Coroners Service in providing crucial data on

all sudden and unexpected, unexplained or unattended deaths in British Columbia. This

data serves multiple functions, including allowing the First Nations Health Authority

and First Nations communities to inform community-based initiatives that reduce health

and safety risks. It also informs the province’s response to the drug toxicity public

health emergency.

The funding that we’re announcing with this budget is part of the work we’re doing

to improve the lives of British Columbians. But this doesn’t represent everything

that we do. Already doing all that we’re planning to do is included.

As the Minister of Public Safety of British Columbia, I am committed to building on

the foundational work that we’ve already completed and drawing on my extensive hands-on

experience. It’s my responsibility to ensure that the systems we have in place are

working as intended for all of the benefit of British Columbia while we continue to

explore new ways to improve public safety.

Part of my mandate is to facilitate cooperation between the police, Crown prosecutors,

probation officers and the federal government to reduce repeat violent and gang offences.

When government saw that the federal bail laws weren’t doing enough to keep violent

repeat offenders off the streets, this province took action and led a national charge

to push the federal government to change the laws.

We are nowhere near satisfied with the results from Ottawa so far, and we will continue

to push them to ensure the federal Criminal Code works to keep people in B.C. and

across the country safe.

Ensuring community safety is one of the province’s strongest priorities and my sole

focus, but it’s not something we can do on our own. Collaboration throughout government

will be the key to accomplishing all the things that we have set out to do. That’s

why we’ve established a cabinet committee on community safety, chaired by the Premier.

This committee will ensure that initiatives identified at the table are prioritized

and delivered to British Columbians.

The people of B.C. expect their leaders to focus on keeping our communities safe,

and that’s exactly what we’re doing. I’m working closely with my counterpart, the

Minister of State for Community Safety and Integrated Community Services, to address

a broad range of community safety issues, such as retail thefts and vandalism.

We’re working across ministries to provide services and interventions to people struggling

with mental health, addiction and brain injuries on our streets and ensuring that

provincial services are relevant and available to support police officers engaging

in front-line responses to people in conflict. This demands a coordinated effort from

government, law enforcement, mental health and addiction services, supportive housing

and much, much more.

We’re going to keep taking action on issues that matter to people in B.C., including

disrupting and dismantling organized crime. We know that these crimes put innocent

people at risk and create fear in our neighbourhoods.

Illegal guns and organized crime are not just fueling crime and violence; they are

at the heart of the toxic drug crisis in this province that has tragically claimed

thousands of lives each year. This is a problem that crosses borders within Canada

and around the world, and we are determined to make it stop.

While there is no single solution to eliminating organized crime, we continue to take

a comprehensive approach, focusing on strong prevention, intervention, intelligence-gathering

and enforcement initiatives so that every person can feel safe in their community.

[1:40 p.m.]

Last year our government invested $500,000 in funding through the guns and gangs violence

action fund to support their media campaign. This campaign is a crucial part of our

ongoing efforts to combat the spread of illegal firearms, solve gun- and gang-related

crimes and apprehend offenders before more serious crimes occur.

We’re also committed to pursuing the forfeiture of assets that are suspected to be

either the instruments of or proceeds from unlawful activity, which typically do also

involve organized crime. Then we redirect the value of those assets to community safety

and crime prevention initiatives.

One example is MOSAIC, which received a grant for a provincewide project called ScamAware.

That project supports immigrants, refugees, newcomers, seniors and socially vulnerable

individuals against emerging phone and digital frauds.

This province will continue to take decisive action to remove the profits from unlawful

activity. We’re doing this, this year, by enhancing the civil forfeiture program.

We’re also setting up a working group to strategically use both criminal and civil

legal approaches and tools to undermine criminal organizations. I look forward to

providing an update on that as soon as possible.

B.C. is unique from the rest of the provinces and territories in this country. We

share borders with the United States to the north and south, with 27,000 kilometres

of stunning coastline, and we are home to numerous land, air and marine ports of entry.

While we are Canada’s Pacific gateway and a desired destination for newcomers, we’re

vulnerable to transnational gangs and the illegal flow of guns and drugs into this

province. Organized crime groups remain relentless in exploiting any weakness they

can find, from street-level drug trafficking in our communities to transnational schemes

involving the shipment of precursor chemicals across our borders and ports.

Our ports of entry should never be an enabling mechanism to illegal cargo in and out

of this province. For years, our government and municipal leaders have been advocating

for meaningful investment in strengthening our borders and ports of entry. While port

police are primarily a federal responsibility, a united approach across all levels

of government is essential to effectively combat the influx of drugs and other illegal

commodities coming through our land borders and ports. We fully support any measures

that strengthen security at our ports and remove fentanyl from our streets.

As a province, we are actively exploring ways to enhance our participation in joint

operations with federal and municipal law enforcement to supplement existing policing

and security at our ports. We take this issue very seriously and continue to work

alongside our federal and provincial partners and all stakeholders to ensure that

we stop the illegal trade of goods, whether they be drugs, wildlife or other contraband

through our ports and borders.

Donald Trump’s tariffs could be devastating for B.C.’s economy, businesses and families.

It amounts to the declaration of economic war against our country. We will not leave

our people and industries to fend for themselves. British Columbians are united, and

we’re standing together to defend our workers and industries and seize opportunities

with other partners.

In the face of this threat, B.C. has everything we need to protect ourselves and to

come out stronger, including the most precious resource of all, British Columbians.

British Columbians are hard-working, resilient and ready to meet the moment the same

as we always have, by looking out for each other and building together.

In 2022, the province asked British Columbians for their perspective on cannabis to

help guide the development of a strong, diverse and safe legal sector. For over six

years, cannabis has been legal in B.C.

[1:45 p.m.]

We are supporting the continued growth and development of the regulated sector while

disrupting the illicit supply chain and removing illicit products from the market.

We will continue that. We will continue to streamline liquor and cannabis regulation

compliance and enforcement practices and facilitate improved delivery services.

This includes focusing on establishments using a risk-based approach to identify violations

that could threaten public safety, such as after-hours sales or serving liquor to

minors. The minors-as-agents program allows minors employed by the province to attempt

to purchase liquor or cannabis from licensed establishments and government stores.

This helps LCRB inspectors monitor that licensees are checking identification and

has been proven to increase compliance rates.

We’re also enhancing the effectiveness of the gambling regulatory framework by bringing

the new Gaming Control Act into force and implementing, this year, an independent

office. Substantial actions under the new act are underway, including a new general

manager and regulations to prevent and detect problem gambling and unlawful activity,

including money laundering in casinos and online.

We will continue to work to enhance the effectiveness and efficiency of cannabis,

liquor and gambling enforcement. This will be done through consistent training and

identifying opportunities for coordination and collaboration between regulatory agencies.

Government is also committed to modernizing and expanding dignified disposition options

in British Columbia. The Cremation, Interment and Funeral Services Act governs the

handling and disposition of human remains and currently permits disposition only by

a few options. The act doesn’t allow for methods such as ash scattering on water,

which we know is culturally important to many British Columbians.

Additionally, we know that there is increasing interest from the public to allow for

more environmentally conscious alternatives to traditional burial and flame cremation.

Government is considering alternative approaches that reduce our environmental footprint

and provide more choices to people and their families when they are making end-of-life

decisions.

At the core of all of our work is improving public safety in British Columbia. We

know there’s more to do, but the actions we have taken are starting to make a difference.

Last spring we introduced legislative changes that addressed topics related to municipal

police governance, police oversight and tiered law enforcement within the current

Police Act. The significant consultation and engagement work that has been taken over

the past few years will help us determine what is most important when it comes to

modernizing policing.

We’ve also been working on policy and legislative reforms called for by the Special

Committee on Reforming the Police Act, a committee that I was proudly a part of. We

will continue to work with our partners with the goal of being responsive to the needs

of diverse communities, fostering increased public trust in policing and improving

public safety outcomes.

Police officers in British Columbia have firsthand experience with the unique challenges

of responding to calls related to a mental health crisis or substance use issues.

These situations often require specialized care. When police work alongside mental

health professionals, it leads to better outcomes for those in distress.

Through community safety initiatives, the province is ensuring that law enforcement

has the resources and supports that they need to respond effectively. By combining

front-line expertise, their initiatives enhance community safety through rapid, care-focused

responses to mental health emergencies while allowing police to focus on preventing

and addressing crime.

We’re expanding mental health rapid response teams to more communities and providing

trauma-informed care from trained peers and health professionals instead of relying

on police. We’re doing this by establishing six peer assisted care teams across six

communities. We’re also introducing mobile integrated crisis response teams in 19

communities, which pair a police officer with a mental health expert trained in de-escalation

and provide crisis intervention in situations where there’s a safety risk.

[1:50 p.m.]

While the police play a crucial role in keeping our streets safe, other services are

necessary for us to see a lasting change. We’re working to refer more individuals

under B.C. Corrections supervision, either in custody or under community supervision

such as probation to cognitive behavioural or skill-based programs.

One of these programs is Living Without Violence, which helps individuals recognize

the source of their anger; improve their communication skills; and learn respectful,

nonviolent problem-solving. Another is the essential skills for success program, which

helps remanded and sentenced individuals develop the skills people need to succeed

at work and in learning, such as communications, goal-setting and resume writing.

We will also continue to support initiatives that are proven to prevent and reduce

crime and promote restorative justice in B.C.

Public safety is more than reducing violent crime. We’re working to improve road safety

with a focus on reducing high-risk driving behaviours, increasing the efficiency of

traffic enforcement and ensuring that B.C.’s licensing system supports safe driving.

I spent more than half of my life serving on the front lines with the RCMP, and during

this time I gained a real experience.

British Columbians have never shied away from a challenge. We’ve built this province

on determination, resilience and belief in a better future. And when faced with adversity,

whether economic, social or global, we do not falter. We stand together. That is why,

in response to the threats facing our businesses, our workers and our communities,

our government is taking decisive action. We’ve convened a trade and economic security

task force, bringing together business leaders, labour, and Indigenous partners, because

in times of challenge, we do not retreat. We unite as part of a strong and resolute

Team Canada.

I’ve spent my life in service to public safety, and I know first-hand that the strength

of British Columbians does not come from what we say. It comes from what we do, from

sacrifice, from standing up for what is right. Today we stand up again to protect

our jobs, to defend our communities and to safeguard the values that make our province

and our country strong.

At the end of the day, all British Columbians want the same thing: a good-paying job

that allows us to build a life we’re proud of; a home we can afford in neighbourhoods

where we feel safe; access to quality health care, education and the public service

we rely on. But these things are not guaranteed. They are not given. We must strive

to achieve them, and at times, we must fight to defend them.

That is our duty: to uphold the rights and freedoms of British Columbians, to shield

them from instability and fear, and to ensure that no force at home or abroad undermines

our prosperity, our security or our sovereignty.

British Columbia is one of the greatest places in the world, not because of our landscapes

but because of our people, because of our commitment to one another. It’s an honour

to serve as the Minister of Public Safety and Solicitor General.

Let history show that when British Columbians were tested, we did not waver. We did

not back down. We stood firm, and we will continue to stand shoulder to shoulder,

working together to build a stronger, safer, more prosperous province for all.

That is my commitment every single day.

Elenore Sturko : Thank you, Madam Speaker. Also, congratulations on becoming, I believe, the first

Asian female to be Assistant Deputy Speaker here in the B.C. Legislature. I think

that’s an amazing accomplishment. I congratulate you for that.

[1:55 p.m.]

I’d also like to start off by saying thanks to some people who are important to helping

me in this place, Gail Miller and Sam Schaap. They’re my constituency assistants.

They’re the ones that help people back home in our riding, previously in Surrey South

and now in Surrey-Cloverdale. They do a fantastic job.

I’m really proud. Some of the work that I’m the most proud of as a member of the B.C.

Legislature, honestly, is the work that I’ve done together with them in the office,

just at the ground level of the community, having had people come to us with some

really, really challenging situations in their lives.

Whether it was because of our collapsing health care system and a lack of cancer care;

whether it is the absolute lack of daycare for families in our community, kids having

to go on split days; you name it. There’s probably an issue in the community in Surrey

— Surrey-wide, provincewide — that Sam and Gail have helped people try to navigate.

The reality is that there isn’t always a solution for every problem, and that’s because

of the failed policies of the NDP. But it’s not for lack of trying by Sam and Gail.

Also here in this place, helping me here in the Legislature, is a wonderful new assistant

in the Legislature named Pegah Taj. She’s probably watching right now.

Thank you so much. You’re doing a wonderful job.

It takes literally an army of people to keep this place going, whether it’s the Clerks

of the Legislature who are forced to sit here and watch us right now doing this, but

everybody behind the scenes. This is an incredible place, and I couldn’t be more proud

to have made it back.

Like the Solicitor General before me, I came here from policing. Actually, it was

the things that I also experienced on the front line that brought me to this place,

and I often get emotional thinking about it. I left my career early, only just shy

of 14 years, because of the stuff I saw on the street with people with untreated mental

illness, people with severe addiction, the unhoused. We need a transformation.

I’m going to talk a little bit, in my response to the budget…. I’m not going to be

able to support it because I don’t think that it is transformative enough for what

our province needs right now. I don’t believe that the plans that have been made by

this Premier and by our Finance Minister go far enough to really changing the way

that we do business.

You know, they’ve had seven years — almost eight, I guess, now — of running the show

here in B.C. Yet I cannot think of a single ministry in which I can honestly say,

being completely fair, that things are better now than they were when the NDP first

got into power in the province. It’s sad.

As much as I’m a member of the opposition…. We are political opponents, but we’re

not enemies. We have the same shared goal for our province, and that’s to make it

better. Sometimes, as sharp as I can be in my role as critic, last time as K-to-12

education, Mental Health and Addictions, and now as critic for Solicitor General and

Ministry of Public Safety….

I can be sharp. I can be, probably, annoying at times and, in question period, a little

biting. But it’s because we have this goal that we want to push those that make decisions

in this province towards making decisions that will transform our province.

Before I really dig into the meat and potatoes of my speech here, I would be really

remiss if I didn’t thank my most important supporter, and that’s my spouse, Melissa.

I love you. I miss you when I’m in this place. I’m proud of you, I’m proud of our

three kids, and I’m here because of you. I’m here because I want to make life better

for our family and for families across this province.

Thank you for this opportunity, and I am very proud to rise to deliver my response

to this budget. I learned over the lunch break that we have a reprieve from the U.S.-imposed

tariffs, which is welcome news, of course. But we must not let up.

[2:00 p.m.]

I am going to still talk about a few things that I want to encourage the government

to consider in response to the tariffs, because we don’t know what the future will

bring and whether or not this reprieve that we see now will be lasting, or if we’ll

be faced again, in a short period of time, with the implications of 25 percent tariffs

on Canadian exports at any time.

I also want to make it very clear that I unequivocally condemn the unjustified actions

of the U.S. President. It’s not only an economic attack on this country; it’s a threat

to our sovereignty. As a British Columbian and as a Canadian, I believe that we have

to stand strong.

I had an opportunity, when I was in the RCMP…. I think it was either 2015 or ’16.

I actually went on an Arctic sovereignty patrol. I was serving as an RCMP officer

and I was in G division in the Northwest Territories, which was awesome. It was an

amazing experience that brought me working with Indigenous people from the North,

learning so much, policing in an entirely different way than I did when I was working

in urban centres.

Being in the Canadian Arctic, we went…. We started off in Hay River. I was actually

doing communications as part of a team with the Canadian Forces, Fisheries and Oceans

— a bunch of federal organizations and government departments. I was the communications

lead.

One of the things that was really important was to tell people, to get out those news

releases and to do all of these events. Actually, one of the events that we did was

a kind of cooking show with the Canadian Rangers. They were using their MREs, their

Meals, Ready-to-Eat, their bush food, and for the media, teaching them how they would

prepare their meals when they were out on a patrol, which was pretty fun.

The reason that we wanted to do these things, to have these media events on the sovereignty

patrols was because — you know what? — this is our land. Canada belongs to Canadians,

British Columbia to British Columbians, and I’m proud. I think that we need to make

our voices strong, to be heard and to make sure that everybody knows that this won’t

be the 51st state.

With 124,000 British Columbians at risk of losing their jobs by 2028 if we go forward

with the trade war, I’m really concerned about the impacts on our province. My home

community of Surrey is particularly vulnerable to tariffs. Surrey and White Rock businesses,

especially those in manufacturing — they’re deeply concerned about rising costs and

supply chain disruptions and, of course, the loss of market share.

Twenty percent of Surrey businesses export to the U.S., and that represents $2.8 billion

in cross-border commerce. So a 25 percent tariff on our exports could force businesses

to scale back operations. They might be forced to move south, or they might shut down

entirely.

I’m very pleased that I was able to actually meet with the Surrey Board of Trade yesterday

with the member from Surrey-Serpentine. We asked them if they would have an emergency

meeting with us so that we could discuss priorities for our region, south of the Fraser.

We wrote, together, a letter to ministers in the government, JEDI and Labour, to ask

them to please meet with the Surrey Board of Trade. In fact, they are doing some excellent

advocacy, and they have plans that can actually help us get through this uncertain

future.

The Surrey Board of Trade…. For those that don’t know, they support businesses, and

they attract new businesses to Surrey. They represent about 6,000 member contacts

and over 60,000 employees. Along with my colleagues from Surrey, I’m pleased to support

their calls for action to our provincial government and federal government to protect

businesses by halting all taxation changes that would deter business growth.

[2:05 p.m.]

We’re calling for an immediate freeze to all regulatory changes on industry that would

add cost and red tape and to implement a strategic plan to ensure that businesses

in the south of the Fraser economic region…. That’s Delta, Langley, Surrey, Abbotsford

and all those border communities, where we have agriculture, manufacturing. It is

really an economic hub for British Columbia.

We’re asking for implementation of a strategic plan to ensure that those businesses

in that region, which are particularly vulnerable to tariffs because of our proximity

to the border, are provided with greater international trade support.

The Surrey Board of Trade already has an international trade centre, so we strongly

urge the government to please work closely with the Surrey Board of Trade in their

initiatives that they already have up and running to make sure that Surrey is well

supported during the uncertain times.

But this is time for us to change the way that we do business in British Columbia.

It’s time for us to enter into a time of transformation. And I’m going to explain

in this budget response…. It’s not only our economy that needs transformation; it’s

about our approaches and service delivery models in just about everything that British

Columbians rely on every single day.

Unfortunately, our province is now, again, on the precipice of a trade war. We’re

actually struggling under the weight of fiscal mismanagement and broken promises.

Our province has been gripped by an affordability crisis with the most expensive housing

in Canada, historic numbers of people relying on food banks and a third of British

Columbians thinking of leaving the province because they can’t afford it.

The Premier made promises during his campaign, promise after promise in fact, to give

people relief — a grocery rebate, like Mother Hubbard, promising a nice bone for everybody.

And now it’s gone. It’s being blamed on the trade war. And the trade war is a significant

economic threat. But the cupboard was already bare before Trump was elected.

As my colleague the member for Kamloops Centre so eloquently explained in his response

to the budget, this budget was modelled on the numbers that the government were showing

as of September 30 in their second-quarter report, and yet somehow they’re still blaming

the tariffs. And their budget has nothing in terms of a plan that will stimulate our

economy.

The Premier has once again run up the largest provincial deficit while accumulating

the largest provincial debt in the history of the province. The deficit is $10.9 billion,

just to keep the lights on.

Look, we don’t want people to be without. We are not asking for essential services

to be reduced. That’s where the transformation comes in, where you stop trying to

play catch-up all the time, where things inevitably cost more, and the lack of planning

and lack of management skills inevitably lead to cost overruns, at a time when we

need to be responsible.

We have a crisis in health care, particularly in Surrey. Look, Surrey is a city that’s

been let down time and again by this government. Emergency rooms are overcrowded.

Wait times are unbearable. Staff are stretched to the breaking point.

A few weeks ago, a doctor at Surrey Memorial told me that he started his shift and

there were already 129 admitted patients in the ER. There’s literally nowhere left

to see a patient. Their very first patient on their shift — the doctor started at

6:30 a.m. — had been in the ER since 5 p.m. the previous evening.

This is a quote from that doctor. “It’s third-world medicine,” they said. They also

said this: “Admitted patients should not stay longer than eight hours in the emergency

department, or we can expect poor outcomes, and ours stay for days.”

[2:10 p.m.]

Here’s another quote from the same doctor: “We can’t attend to their needs, and nurses

are so stretched. It’s a safety issue which leads to delays in care, escalations of

emotions, leading to assaults. It’s all linked.” They go on to say: “Ours is a house

of cards with the biggest budget in the ministry.”

The last quote from the doctor actually makes an important point about health care

funding. Health care represents one of the largest ministries, one of the largest

budgets, yet the system across the province is in a constant state of playing catch-up.

Trying to catch up with the demand for doctors. One in five people in B.C. are still

without a family doctor. Trying to keep emergency rooms open. ER closures are happening

at a rate never seen before in our province. British Columbians are being sent to

Bellingham, Washington, for radiation treatment — five rounds.

Again, talking about fiscal responsibility and looking after…. Yes, we want people

to get the health care that they need, which is why we called for transformation.

We ran on a platform of transformation to change the way that our model works to have

a single payer but to have more opportunities for people in Canada, in British Columbia,

to receive the care that they need.

A cost of five rounds of radiation in B.C. is $3,854 per patient. That same treatment

in Bellingham is estimated to be $16,000 per patient. While you might not need your

credit card, you definitely need your passport. And you have to go out of your community;

you have to go out of your province; you have to go out of your country to receive

what should be a pretty straightforward and accessible care here in our province.

The point is, when we talk about budgets, when we talk about spending, we also have

to look at the effectiveness of what we’re doing. Fiscal responsibility — what are

our taxpayers paying for?

The new Cloverdale hospital and cancer treatment centre…. Look, this is a welcome

addition to Surrey, particularly in my riding of Surrey-Cloverdale, but the project

is already behind schedule, and it was $1 billion over budget before it even broke

ground.

Before they broke ground, too, there were multiple…. I mean, like, I would guesstimate

it to be probably close to 20 announcements, including media releases, and it hadn’t

even broken ground. In fact, at one point, they had trucked in equipment to pose with

the equipment. And then the next day the equipment was gone. It was pretty wild.

I’m glad now it’s underway. But I understand they have run into some complications

with the project, because having been built on a floodplain, they have encountered

an aquifer. There are complications, and we haven’t had an update in a long time.

Now that they’ve run into trouble, the government hasn’t provided us an update. So

I hope that maybe they’re listening to this now and we’ll get an update on that soon.

I’m hoping that there won’t be any more significant delays to getting that new hospital

open.

Even with the new hospital, we’re still going to be hundreds of beds short, short

on pediatrics, obstetrics, gynecological health services, surgery rooms, cardiology….

You name the service or the health care specialty, and we’re still going to be behind

that in Surrey. Actually, we’re going to be behind that in the rest of the province

too.

As the 2025 budget clearly shows, this is a government that’s content to play catch-up,

spending money to plug holes, responding to crisis after crisis. If we ever hope to

move out of the problems that we have now, move our health care system forward, we

need transformation. It’s time to transform our model, maintaining universal health

care, single-payer system, but allowing for service delivery partnerships. After all,

it’s not universal health care if people can’t access it.

In Surrey, we’re facing the same crisis in K-to-12 education. This budget does not

sufficiently address the needs of our school district. It doesn’t even come close,

not even close. Record enrolment, capacity pressures, inflation, insufficient government

grants, rising replacement cost salaries — they put a strain on our district’s financial

resources.

[2:15 p.m.]

School trustees anticipate that this 2025-26 budget is going to be their most difficult

budget that they’ve had in years. The government’s failure to adequately fund Surrey

school district is having dire consequences for our students. The discontinuation

of busing for the intensive literacy program, so kids with disabilities are not able

to access their specialty programs because the NDP has underfunded the school district.

Closure of two StrongStart sites, another very, very successful literacy program.

Closing Learning Centres. Dropping elementary music classes. Six schools on extended

day schedules. There’s a potential that schools are going to have to shift to year-round

trimester schooling or hybrid learning with courses online.

We still, in Surrey, despite the fact that…. I think it was a 2017 election promise

that they would remove, immediately, all portables in Surrey. We have over 300 portables

in Surrey. I know that the number of children in portables in Surrey is the same number

— of kids in those portables — that some districts have in the entire school district’s

number of children, which is pretty wild.

The board of education approved a ’25-26 capital plan, and they were seeking an additional

$5.03 billion just for capital expenditures, for 63 capital projects that would address

the exponential growth in Surrey and White Rock. The total amount in the 2025 budget

for the province is $4½ billion. So Surrey needs more than $5 billion, and the province

gives everybody in the province less than $5 billion. I don’t think we’re going to

see any major success there.

Look, again, this is about transformation, because we’re not going to be able to catch

up schools. You know, I’m bad at math, but I’m not that bad at math. If we keep just

building one school after another school like the way that it’s being done right now,

we’ll never catch up. We need to have a different approach to school infrastructure

— taking over commercial buildings, taking advantage of expansion opportunities outside

of the traditional school builds that we normally do.

I only have 7½ minutes left, so I’m going to…. There’s so much to talk about in Surrey,

whether it’s transit; housing; health care, as I said; schools; homelessness. I mean,

you name it. But I am the critic for Public Safety and the Solicitor General this

time around, so I just want to talk a little bit about safety.

I think one of the things that’s very concerning is the toll that fentanyl has taken

on our province and what the toll is on our country. Nearly 50,000 Canadians have

died from fentanyl poisonings since 2016. That’s the size of a city. And 16,000 of

those individuals who perished are British Columbians. They’re from our province.

Yet there’s no mention of funding specifically tied to trafficking fentanyl or manufacturing

it, in the 2025 budget.

The reality is that this government’s soft-on-crime and radical drug legalization

policies have turned our province into a hub of drug production. Crystal meth being

shipped outside this country. Fentanyl.

I want to be really clear. It doesn’t matter to me so much if we receive pressure

from the outside — I think it’s important to be a good neighbour — but this is the

right thing to do for our country, for our province: to fight fentanyl, to fight cartels,

to fight gangs for our people. And in virtue of doing that, we will become a better

neighbour, a stronger ally.

We need to work together with international friends, including the United States,

Australia, everybody all around the world. Pacific Rim countries, in particular, are

at risk of receiving crystal meth, for example, like the individual who had, I think

it was, $250,000 worth of crystal meth in a carry-on bag from YVR over to New Zealand,

over the Christmas break. It’s embarrassing.

[2:20 p.m.]

That’s why I’m going to call on this government to advocate for changes to Canadian

laws, which…. Yes, it’s a federal responsibility, but the voice has to come from our

province.

I will be asking the Minister of Public Safety and Solicitor General, the Attorney

General to advocate for aligning our laws, in some circumstances, to work better with

international partners so that when we have a better chance of having a successful

prosecution and that our allies won’t be reluctant to have a court case prosecuted

in Canada, as they are now. But they’ll see us as a strong partner ready to kick butt

against cartels and gangs because it’s the right thing to do.

I’ve been very strongly advocating for witnessed safe supply in British Columbia,

and I was pleased to see that the government made a move in that direction at the

beginning of this legislative sitting. In fact, I thanked the Minister of Health and

the Solicitor General for their action on that. I’m disappointed that it took so long,

and it took, actually, whistleblowers releasing data before the government acted.

I also want to make it clear that a lot of the trouble that we have in this province

is a result of failed policy by the government. Expenditures, including funding organizations

that actively work against police, actively call for the defunding of police, actively

advocate for the legalization of drugs…. It’s the Premier’s taxpayer-funded safe supply,

in fact, that fuelled the fentanyl trade, giving people a street currency to buy fentanyl

that killed them.

The decriminalization experiment took away enforcement powers from police at the street

level for 15 months. It had an impact. All of these steps, whether they came from

a good place…. At the end of the day, I think that there are people that had intentions

to help. But then when the information and evidence came forward to show that a well-intentioned

program was actually causing harm and was dangerous, where I am offended is that that

information was ignored.

It’s never the wrong time to do the right thing. I would strongly urge the Premier

to call off the decriminalization experiment in its entirety at this time, to send

a strong signal to drug dealers, cartels, and to stop the normalization of drug use

in this province and get back to saying no. And warn people, for goodness’ sake.

I only have a minute and a half left, and I didn’t nearly get to the things I wanted

to discuss. But I’ll tell you that on the last day of the B.C. Legislature last year,

we discussed the overdose death of a student at the University of Victoria. I was

very emotional. I think we all were, on both sides of the House. It was actually one

of the reasons why I decided that I would do whatever I could to try to, first of

all, make a change in government.

I wanted to win a seat because our work is not done. I wanted to fight for provincewide

nasal naloxone. I wanted to fight against the diversion of drugs. I wanted to fight

against cartels. I want to fight for a safer B.C. I want to work together with government

to make B.C. better. I’m willing to do that.

One of the things that we’ve been failing at, to conclude, is that we have to warn

people of the danger. We have to stop giving out the message that there is a safe

drug, that there is a safe way for people to consume drugs, and get back to warning

people that what might have been true even 20 years ago is not true on the street.

Using even a single time can kill you.

Let’s get back to a place in this province where we protect British Columbians.

Thank you for the opportunity today, Madam Speaker.

Thank you to my colleagues in the House for their support.

Thank you to all British Columbians.

I won’t be supporting this budget.

[2:25 p.m.]

Hon. Spencer Chandra Herbert : Well, it’s an eventful time. It’s a time where you turn on your phone, or you turn

on the TV, or you talk to somebody and the news of the day has changed again.

One day it’s a tariff; the next day it’s not a tariff. One day it’s threat to Canada;

the next day, well, maybe not yet but maybe tomorrow. Indeed it’s a tumultuous time,

and that’s a difficult time for everybody. That’s a difficult time to govern, especially,

as you’re not sure if you are coming or going.

It’s a difficult time for the public. Are they going to invest their dollars? Are

they going to hold on to them? Businesses: are they going to grow? Are they going

to shrink? It’s tough all around, and I think that’s why a budget, as presented by

our Finance Minister, makes sure to protect those core services that we rely on: our

health care, our education. It makes sure to invest in areas where we can see job

growth, revenue growth, more support for the public, it’s incredibly important.

I joined this House at a time of economic turmoil when Lehman Bros., and so on, had

just gone bankrupt, and there was real fear about what the economic future would look

like. At that time, I made a similar argument: you need to invest in your core supports,

your core services. You need to take care of the vulnerable. And you need to look

at the economy of the future, which is now today, the diversification of trade, creative

economy, support for things like tourism.

Over my time in this House, I have made many of the arguments that I now get to make

as the Minister of Tourism, Arts and Culture and actually implement some of those

changes and policies that I’ve long advocated for, I think, as many have, trying to

get governments of the day to recognize the value of tourism, arts, culture, sport,

the film industry, our creative economy, digital media and so forth. I’m really happy

with those investments we’ve seen, both over the term of our government but also in

this budget I’m speaking about.

Now, I want to start just by saying that I love Canada. I love British Columbia. I

love Vancouver. I love our communities in this province. There’s no place, really,

I’d rather be, and I think that’s the case for many of us in this province. I think

there’s the case that a lot of us have incredible pride in our province and will do

anything to stand up for it.

I know there are those who will try and talk down our province, try and say it’s broken,

that nothing works and it’s all failing. I don’t think that’s the case. I think there’s

a lot of room for improvement, as in anything. But I don’t think it’s right to try

and paint a picture of how this is the worst place in the world, as I’ve heard some

people seemingly talk about.

I think there’s a lot to be proud of, and I want to make sure that our public servants,

those that do those hard jobs…. Whether or not it be fighting forest fires, whether

it be working in the front lines helping people deal with addiction challenges, mental

health issues, in our hospitals, in our schools, they’re doing incredible work, and

I think it’s our job to have their backs.

I wonder sometimes when I hear members of this House argue that we should reduce spending,

cut spending, that we’ve got to cut it back. Well, those dollars are going to fund

our nurses. They’re funding our health care. They’re funding our schools. So I’ll

hear “cut spending” but also “spend more” coming out of the same person’s mouth.

I get it. Sometimes in opposition you can have it both ways. Spend more, but spend

less at the same time. Cut more; spend more. More staff, but less money. Reduce wages,

but increase support. It’s a bit difficult to take. I get it.

I know the opposition Finance critic argued it wasn’t his job to provide solutions,

that it wasn’t his job to make suggestions. I think it’s unfortunate, because indeed

every member of this House, and I’ve heard it in other opposition MLAs, have offered

good suggestions. They are offering passionate responses on behalf of their constituents.

I think that’s all of our jobs. We’re all elected to serve. We’re all elected to stand

up for our province. We’re all elected to provide good ideas, and I think it’s incumbent

upon government and opposition to listen to each other, to work together for the best

interests of this province. I really hope that’s the direction we go in, because the

desire to just say, “That’s a failure, but I don’t have to offer any solutions,” I

think is a failure in itself. I think you get better solutions when you seek them.

It’s easy to say: “Bad.” It’s harder to say: “Bad, but this is what would make it

better.”

[2:30 p.m.]

Certainly, I always look for that opportunity to look for what we can do better. I’m

positive by nature, maybe a little too relentlessly. So for some, I’m a bit hard to

take sometimes early in the morning. I’ve got a great smile on my face, and I wish

people the happiest morning, and sometimes I get a grunt. But that’s okay. Some people

take their days a little different. Some people are more night owls, I guess, than

I am.

I’d say that in that vein, there’s a lot I’m positive about for our future. I think

there are a lot of things I’m worried about, too, no question. But with this file

of Tourism, Arts, Culture and Sport, I can think about this last year.

We had the best year ever for the cruise industry, for cruise ship visits, and then

the dollars that grow and support our businesses from that industry. Best ever, at

a time when many others were saying, “B.C. is not a place that you want to come, and

oh, I’m considering leaving, and oh, I want to leave and everyone wants to leave,”

which is the message I hear from the opposition.

Couldn’t be farther from the truth. People are coming here in record numbers. I think

last year, 2024, about 125,000 people moved to British Columbia because of the economy.

I think last year was the…. We’re the top economy in all of Canada — all of Canada.

While we’ve heard speeches suggest otherwise, that’s what Statistics Canada tells

us. That’s what the results show us.

Now, of course, those results are sometimes felt differently depending on where you

live. That’s where my job comes in. It’s to make sure we see more of the benefits

of things like tourism in every part of this province. I had the opportunity to see

folks from the Prince Rupert port, for example, today. I know that they’re keen and

excited about the potential for growth of cruises in their economy and for what that

does for them, too. Just on that one file, the cruise industry.

Now, we had the best year ever in terms of support for B.C. Place, in terms of the

impact, at least, of that facility, provided by the province, with incredible economic

returns in Vancouver. Hotels at record levels of occupancy. That’s job growth as well.

Those are good-paying jobs in many parts of this province. We’re seeing that in the

Okanagan. We’re seeing that in the North.

We’ve got work to do. I think there’s no question. We’re always looking for ways we

can grow connections to other parts of the province. It’s a big province. Not everywhere

is as easy to get to. Of course, there are always more improvements. I know the Minister

of Transportation is working on those issues, as am I and as are we all.

Well, that’s the positive side. We’re growing. We’ve got good, positive jobs. I will

later go into the film…. I’ll go into the digital economy. I’ll go into all those

other files that I carry, but it’s in a backdrop of threat. We’re in a backdrop of

where our biggest neighbour, our truest trading partner, somebody who has been an

ally with that great, undefended border for many years….

The President has decided to turn his attention to us and to attack us, in a sense,

and call for economic destruction to Canadians, to make themselves richer at our expense.

That’s the argument the President has made. This budget says no — no way. This budget

says, “No, we’re Canadian. We’re proud to be Canadian. We will not be the 51st state,”

as I have heard most of my colleagues in this House say.

I know some on the Conservative side argued we should comply with Donald Trump. Thankfully,

I don’t think the majority of them, but that is an issue. I don’t think that compliance

with an American president who wants our economic destruction, wants our resources,

is a good idea. I’m glad most of the folks on that side don’t agree with it.

I know some did argue that we should comply, and some argued that we shouldn’t launch

tariffs in response to the unjustified tariffs coming from Mr. Trump. I don’t think

that’s the right approach. You have to stand up for yourself, and you’ve got to stand

up and speak out for your province and for your communities.

While we’re facing these threats — huge challenges to manufacturing, to agriculture,

to many of our businesses, to service industries and so on — I want to make sure that

folks understand that we can see increased growth in tourism. We can see increased

growth in film and TV and the digital media clusters, regardless of what they do south

of the border.

That’s because we’ve got incredible people working in those industries and a competitive

tax environment. We have great locations and great companies doing the work. We can

see that growth in those industries, and I think we have to. That’s where a focus

of mine has been: looking for ways we can grow in ski; that we can grow in, as I mentioned

already, cruises; that we can grow in film, in digital; and so on.

[2:35 p.m.]

Before I get into those sectors, I just want to stop, because sometimes we get ahead

of ourselves. I’ve gotten a little ahead of myself, in the sense that I want to say

thank you. I thank the Finance Minister, but I want to thank first — well, I guess

I already thanked her, so it won’t be first, but it should be first — my team in the

West End.

Murray Bilida, constituency assistant, is probably the longest-serving constituency

assistant in B.C. and potentially in Canada now. I know we haven’t done a survey of

other constituencies across this province, but he started serving as a constituency

assistant in the early 1980s. I think he was about two at the time, but he was very

smart for the age of two. He has only done better and better in the years since then.

It has been an honour, and it’s a privilege to work with him. I just think he’s passionate;

he’s fierce. I know government officials and others are always very alert when he

calls, because they know that he knows what goes on in this place. He knows if he’s

getting bluffed, he knows where to ask the tough questions, and he knows where to

demand the answers. I think that’s a skill that we all need, and it’s a skill that

has served constituents very well.

Thank you to Murray for that.

I want to thank Heather Andrews, my other constituency assistant. She joined the team

relatively recently. She works very hard. She did not write the speech. She said if

she had written the speech, I would have remembered to thank her in the throne speech.

Alas, I did not rely on my staff to write the speeches, so any errors in the speech

are mine and mine alone. She’s warm, effective, passionate and a great advocate, so

creative. Really, it’s a pleasure to work with her.

I know constituents are benefiting from Murray’s and Heather’s advocacy each and every

day, as am I, with their insights and their focus on serving the public. No matter

which partisan affiliation people bring, we always make sure it’s clear that our job

here is to represent every British Columbian.

Our job is to listen, to learn and try our best on their behalf, even if sometimes

we might disagree. We’ll find a way to try and solve that problem so that the person

can get their dreams fulfilled and so that they get the fairness that they deserve.

Thank you to my constituency team.

Thank you to the team at the Tourism, Arts, Culture and Sport Ministry as well. I

feel very well supported. They’re passionate, incredible public servants that love

this province. Many have served the ministry for decades, because of their love for

this province and because of their love and insight into how tourism, arts, culture

and sport benefit British Columbians in every part of this province.

The challenge: tariffs, economic threats, arguments about whether or not we should

be allowed to sell our goods to America, whether or not we are allowed to be a sovereign

nation. Of course we are, and we are proud to do that. It’s great to see the large

Canada flag on the outside of the Legislature today and the strong advocacy of the

government to diversify our trade, to stay strong and to make a real difference in

supporting British Columbians’ lives as we face these challenges.

How are we doing that in the Ministry of Tourism, Arts, Culture and Sport? We have

incredible investments. Businesses from all over the globe have invested in B.C. in

tourism, whether it’s hotels, resorts, golf, ski, as I mentioned, or access in the

back country.

We certainly see strong investments in getting out the fishing economy, getting out

and seeing the incredible back country we have, including hunting opportunities and

many other aspects — recreational advocacy and support, culture, incredible festivals,

the arts and culture scene we have here, our heritage.

People are wanting to come to understand Indigenous heritage in this province and

get to understand Indigenous communities, their heritages, their cultures and their

languages. We have so many valuable things in this province to share with the public.

As a ministry, our job is to market them so that the public and the rest of the world

can see that they should be here and that they should come visit — a very aggressive

marketing campaign all over the globe.

[2:40 p.m.]

We also are working with our friends in the Water, Land and Resource Stewardship Ministry

and the Environment Ministry to support the land-based tourism operators so that they

can get some certainty on the land base.

If they have, for example, a hiking trail, or maybe they have horses and you get out

and do back-country riding, you know that they’re not going to go out one day and

that trail is, all of a sudden, gone because a forestry operation was also approved

for the same location or a mining operation, or something like that. You want to make

sure that there is some certainty for them, just as you want to make sure there’s

certainty for mining and for forestry operations.

For a long time, tourism took the back seat, partly because it’s so dispersed. There

are a lot of small business operators, so sometimes they are not able to speak with

the same clout as one large industry, one large corporation, one large historic resource

industry in the province. I think we’re changing that. We’re recognizing that very

closely and very clearly the benefits of tourism are felt everywhere in this province.

It is a resource industry, in the end. It’s about that resource of relationship, the

resource of relationship to the people and to the land, the resource of the relationship

to the story, the history. I think that it’s well past time that we have that resource

recognized for the incredible value it has to this province. That’s great jobs, as

I mentioned, in every part of our province.

Working to get better certainty on the land base is vital. Faster permitting times

so people know that theyll be able to operate their business. They’ll know that they’ll

be able to expand their business, so when they put in the money, it’s not stuck waiting

for decades before they get any sort of decision. That’s very important because waiting

is wasting in many cases. It’s wasting time. It’s wasting money. It’s wasting energy.

And it’s denying or delaying the benefit that could come to the region, to the business,

to the province.

I think we all know we need to grow our economy, I believe, in order to provide good

jobs but also the resources that we also all know that we need to rely on to support

our health care, to support our schools, to support those vital industries. Job growth

and investment growth is an area that I’ve certainly focused on as the Tourism Minister.

I think there’s other work that we’re working on with our ski hills to, again, as

well, make sure that they can get their investments recognized, that they’re able

to reinvest in their businesses so that they have that longer-term certainty. Grow

the jobs, grow the businesses, grow the benefit in the communities.

Certainly, at the First Nations Leadership Gathering, I heard a lot of interest from

local nations across the province for growth of their own businesses, for partnership

with ski operations across the province, for partnership with many of our bigger tourism

industries but also with real excitement at the purchase and the creation of new tourism

opportunities across this province.

A huge shout-out to all the entrepreneurs, the local nations, the local business people,

everybody that’s looking to grow the jobs and grow tourism in every corner.

Indigenous Tourism B.C. has seen really strong growth from when I first connected

with the industry many, many years ago. I think 2008 was the first time I got to know

folks with Indigenous Tourism B.C.

I think at the time, there may have been 50 market-ready businesses in that field.

I think there are now over 300 because of that huge growth and because of the support

of groups like Indigenous Tourism B.C., which has received support through my ministry

with Destination B.C. I’m glad to see that that continues to be the case.

Certainly, in any response we make around tariffs and diversifying our economy, we

have to make sure that we are working with Indigenous partners, with nations across

this province. They have that same interest as we do. Their governments have that

same desire to support their people that we do, and we’ve got to do that together,

not opposing each other, not fighting in the courts, as some people think is still

a good idea. I don’t think that’s a good idea.

I think you don’t fight with your neighbours; you work with them. You listen to each

other. You learn, and you grow stronger together as a community, as opposed to throwing

things at each other and not believing people, not listening to them, not understanding

that history that our province has.

[2:45 p.m.]

Moving along, I’ve talked a lot about tourism because I’m so passionate about it.

But I think there’s an interesting tie-in. Today I understand we’re getting an exciting

connection. It’s being launched at the Tourism Industry Association conference in

Vancouver, likely right now as I speak or just a few moments ago. It’s a project called

Cineventure.

It’s a project which has…. Because we are such a well-known film destination for the

major producers of film and TV in the world, we’ve had a lot of shows and stories

shot in our communities, places that people want to see, they want to learn about.

They want to go and see the backlots. They want to go and see the locations of their

favourite stories.

So Cineventure is a partnership between Screen B.C., the industry advocate for film

and TV, and the tourism industry of B.C. It’s a way to take those stories, take that

intellectual property, take those memorable moments and use those as a tourism asset

as well so that you can go to a community….

I know there have been lots of different communities in B.C. who have tried versions

of this. I think of Steveston and the work they did around Storyville and Small Town,

trying to tell that story. I think of Kamloops. They had an interesting project around

showing I think it was Power Rangers , where that was filmed.

Many will know of Hope. I’m told that in Hope still about 20 percent of their business

through their visitor information centres is because of Rambo. You go back to Rambo,

John Rambo and his big knife and the police and all those stories. You know, that’s

a long time ago.

Even Nelson…. I think I was in Nelson. They were talking about Steve Martin and films

back to the early ’80s. But that’s because people have those loves.

I was talking to the mayor of Gibsons, and of course you’ve got Beachcombers and the love of that story and the desire, which I agree with. They should get it

out, put it out. CBC should air it again, at least put it on streaming. Yes, Mr. Mayor,

I’m with you on that one.

Those stories should be used to generate more business, and that’s what Cineventure

is doing. Finding those connections within our ministry, within our communities, within

our businesses can only be good for all of us. I congratulate them on that venture,

and I look forward to trying it out myself and to get to see some of the great stories

we have in the West End.

I think of where X Files was shot, where Scully’s home was, a cool little apartment building in the West End

— many stories like that. I’m sure everyone’s got one of their own in this province.

Film and TV is great for our economy. That’s why I’m so proud that this budget increased

the film tax credits to make our competitiveness even stronger. We’re a competitive

jurisdiction. We’ve got one of the best tax rates for film and TV in the world. We’ve

got the best crews in the world and some of the best locations in the world, a great

film commission, great Creative B.C. in terms of connecting them, incredible administrative

qualities — all things that our customers have told us matter to them.

The film incentive tax credits have gone up for both the production services tax credits,

which is often what you hear of from big Hollywood producers that want to come and

film here; and also the Film Incentive B.C. tax credit. That’s for domestic producers,

for Canadian production.

I think of one of the producers I’ve met with who…. It’s called Murder in a Small Town, and he’s a Canadian producer, a Canadian story. His production company owns it, owns

the intellectual property. It’s an incredibly popular show on Fox. They purchased

it, but they own the IP. So every royalty, every screening of this TV show is more

support for that company so that they can then go out and invest even more in other

Canadian productions and in other stories that we want to tell, and grow that company

as a major producer within B.C.

Not just relying on the major American productions but making sure that we’re growing

our Canadian productions, our Canadian producers right here, I think that’s so valuable.

Because you often get more…. The screenwriters are Canadian. The actors are Canadian.

The directors are Canadian, and so the whole gamut is Canadian. They show the incredible

talent we have.

A huge shout-out to programs like the Pacific Screenwriting Program and others that

have helped us up our game on all sides. We have great crews, but we also have great

talent, and I think that’s something that people don’t always recognize: that our

actors, our writers, our directors are the best in the world. They’re people that

tell incredible stories. And I’m so glad that increasing tax competitiveness will

create more jobs in the film and TV industry in all corners of this province.

[2:50 p.m.]

Thank you to the Finance Minister for hearing those voices, hearing the voice of the

Canadian producer who made very clear that our investments are helping, and they’re

going to help in a big way.

I heard from Screen B.C., and their message really was: “Thank you, on behalf of the

film industry, for the investment you committed to with the recent tax credit increases.

Since the first mention of this in late 2024 and the confirmation of timing earlier

this year, we’ve experienced a marked increase in the number of calls, queries and

opportunities for B.C. to star in upcoming productions. This change matters. Most

importantly, it is sure to get industry artisans and experts back to set.”

That’s very important. I know it’s been a bit of a drier spell for a number of folks

in the industry, and that’s because we’ve seen a global contraction in investment

in film and TV everywhere. That’s, again, why this investment by the province matters,

because we want those people to work. We don’t want their skills to sit idle. We don’t

want them to have to consider changes of careers, because this is a great industry.

Great careers.

Another area related comes through creative technology, the interactive digital media

tax credit. Try saying that ten times fast. We’ve increased that tax credit, to go

from 17 to 25 percent starting September 25, and made it permanent. This will bring

more jobs and more companies to B.C.

I understand that there are already companies looking at shifting where they were

planning on investing and that B.C. is where they now want to invest. They loved what

we had here, but they wanted to make sure it was tax competitive, that they could

compete on the global market, that they could take their skills and grow their businesses,

and they want to do that in B.C.

I’ve heard from businesses already based in B.C. that they’re looking at ways that

they can bring in talent from other properties, other companies, other subsidiaries

around the globe to come to B.C. These are top talents. They’re not easy to find.

They’re not easy to keep.

I think of Sony Imageworks. I was there for a tour the other day and seeing the incredible

skills there. I think of EA now, on the gaming side, and the incredible talents and

skills you have to develop intellectual property like that. Hugely successful projects,

incredible return on investment, huge benefit to the B.C. budget, big support for

high-paying jobs. Very important.

I’m continuing along. I’m going to just finish up. I see I’ve only got two minutes,

but I would say just on the other aspects of the budget that I think really will matter

in my community and my constituency….

Investments in mental health. Investments in addiction treatment. New investments

in public safety. Making sure that those that are facing challenges either face the

full effect of the law, because they’re breaking the law, intentionally harming people.

Dealing with mental health issues where people may not be aware of what they’re doing;

drug addiction challenges, what they’re doing and that impact on the street and that

impact on small business owners. I think those are incredibly important investments.

I want to thank Teri and her team at the West End BIA, the province of B.C. business

improvement associations for that advocacy to look out for our small businesspeople

and our shopkeepers. That’s something we have to do. I know constituents want us to

do it, because they want the folks that are struggling to get help, but they also

want to feel that safety themselves on the streets in our province.

In small towns, big towns, every part of this province, I think British Columbians

have good hearts. They want folks that are in struggle to get help, and they want

to make sure that they themselves are also safe, and that’s something we need to do

both parts of. So investing on the mental health side, investing on the law enforcement

side, I think, are important for our communities, and I’m glad the province is doing

that.

There are more things. There’s always more. I would just say I want to correct the

record. One of the opposition MLAs argued it was one in five British Columbians don’t

have a doctor. Doctors of B.C. has said that no, that’s actually more like one in

nine.

Now that’s still not good enough, but it was one in five under the B.C. Liberal Conservative

United. We’ve nearly cut that in half, so a whole lot more British Columbians are

having access to family doctors. We’ve got to keep doing that work, because of course,

early prevention is way more cost effective and just better overall for everybody.

I’m proud of the work we’re doing. I think there are better times ahead. We’re in

a tough spot right now, no question. We’ve got to pull together, look for good ideas

everywhere, and I think we will come out of this stronger, more united, prouder to

be Canadian and a better province and better place to call home.

I support this budget. I thank my colleagues in the New Democratic Party for their

advocacy for so many of these good items: strong economy, strong social supports,

healthy environment.

[2:55 p.m.]

Deputy Speaker : Recognizing the member for Prince George–Mackenzie.

Kiel Giddens : Thank you, Madam Speaker, and thank you for the opportunity to speak today to the

government’s budget.

This is my first opportunity to congratulate you on your position in that chair. It

is great to see such a diverse group representing that chair in our assembly, so thank

you.

I will get into my budget remarks, but before I do, I do want to start by thanking

the people of Prince George–Mackenzie for giving me the honour of representing them

in this place. It’s very humbling to be elected by fellow citizens in our respective

communities. It’s also one of the reasons I have tremendous respect for our parliamentary

democratic process. Each and every one of us was sent to this place directly by a

community of citizens, and it’s an honour that we should all respect and be reminded

of our home communities each and every day.

Thank you to the people of the Lheidli T’enneh First Nation, McLeod Lake Indian Band,

the city of Prince George, district of Mackenzie, Salmon River, Summit Lake, Ness

Lake, Bear Lake, Powder King, Mud River, and everywhere in between.

I also want to thank and congratulate each and every one of you in this Legislature

for your election, including the Speaker, of course, and members of the government

side of the House and the Third Party as well. We may come from different political

stripes, but I do believe we’re all in this for public service.

To the members of the opposite side of the House, I also want to say that, like all

of you, myself and members of my party would like to see the member for Victoria–Beacon

Hill reclaim her seat.

The member and I went to the University of British Columbia together, where we both

started our own political journeys in the Political Science Student Association. Several

talented members at the Clerk’s table also were in the same club at the same time,

as well as Bradley Vis, a current federal Conservative MP from Abbotsford.

During that time, when the member for Victoria–Beacon Hill was actually the president

of the club, I was the vice-president. We remain very close friends to this day. I’m

praying for her health each and every day, and I know she’s a fighter.

What I remember most from my university days were the friendships formed at a really

formative time in life. We could vigorously debate Canadian politics in the Pit Pub

over a beer and still leave as friends. So I will try my best to engage in respectful

debate on the issues, but respect the individuals involved. Although not all of us

may be close friends, we should learn from one another while we’re here, while staying

true to our values.

It has been a conversation on values that have really restructured the status quo

in British Columbia politics, and what a wild time it has been. I feel like I personally

rode a rollercoaster with my family, my friends, my supporters in the cars behind

me. I’m glad that we persevered to work on building a brand-new movement in our province

through the Conservative Party of British Columbia.

I’d like to thank my constituency assistants, Brenda Federink and Tianna Klein. Brenda

is in Prince George, and Tianna is in Mackenzie.

You’re both passionate about public service, and I appreciate you.

I would also like to thank my legislative assistant, Jacob Burdge; research officer

Jaclyn Aubichon and communications officer Ryan Painter.

To my friend Missy Nowakowski and all of the caucus staff: thank you for stepping

up to serve.

It’s humbling to be back here. I lived in Victoria from 2007 to 2013 serving the then

government caucus. I started as an assistant legislative assistant. So yes, two “assistants”

were in my title. I really got to work for some great MLAs and cabinet ministers during

my time here. It was an honour and a privilege then when I walked up the Legislature

steps, and it’s even more so now as I stand with you here today.

There are some key people from my campaign that helped me get elected.

I want to thank Judy Jackson, Charlotte Groot, Mike Davis, Rod and Denise McLeod,

Aaron Kordyban, Todd Corrigall, Mike Millard, Domenic Cinalli, Alex Huber, Tianna

Klein, Matt Daigle and Paulo Branco.

Thank you for showing up each and every time I called.

There were many more who knocked on doors, staffed the office, were poll captains,

or anything else we asked of them. Together we won as a team, and I’m so thankful

for them.

[3:00 p.m.]

I didn’t grow up in northern B.C. I actually grew up in Kamloops, where my dad, John

Giddens, still runs a small family business that’s been operating continuously in

the family for the past 111 years, so third generation. He’s an active volunteer to

this day, and I learned about public service and giving back to my community from

him.

[Lorne Doerkson in the chair.]

My mom, Candice Giddens, was a pediatric nurse, and I learned about care and compassion

for my neighbours from her.

I’m grateful for both of them. I appreciate their support for my campaign and everything

they’ve done for me and for our entire family.

One individual in particular — my wife, Elyse Giddens, who I introduced in the House

earlier this week — was a rock star on our campaign, of course. I am so lucky to have

her as my biggest supporter, my life partner and my best friend.

Not only is she an amazing mom to our two kids, she’s a senior administrator at the

College of New Caledonia, she’s on the board of the Prince George Elizabeth Fry Housing

Society. She’s currently completing her MBA from Dalhousie University.

Now she’s added one more thing to her resume: the best GOTV chair that Prince George–Mackenzie

has ever had, helping us get to a 61 percent margin of victory.

I’m very proud of Elyse every day, and I’m grateful for her love and for her support.

When I decided to run, it was a family decision. Elyse and I decided that young families

needed their voice heard in the Legislature. This week’s budget is the perfect reason

why.

Our kids, Thomas and Charlie, should have every opportunity to thrive in the province

of British Columbia. Thomas is seven, currently in taekwondo and gymnastics. He’s

witty and thoughtful and could very well be an MLA himself one day. Charlie is five.

He’s caring, he’s goofy and says he wants to be Dr. Giddens or maybe a firefighter

one day.

My main reason for standing in this house is to fight for their future so they can

get everything they can to get ahead in life. This week we heard a budget that puts

their future in jeopardy. We have a government that is so addicted to spending that

they’re mortgaging our kids’ future and our grandkids’ future and saddling them with

debt because of today’s choices.

The government announced another record structural deficit of $11 billion. As we heard

from the Finance critic the other day, the NDP under this Premier have contributed

more debt than the rest of the Premiers combined since the time of Confederation.

The total debt was $50 billion when the NDP took office in 2017. In this three-year

fiscal plan, debt is set to hit $208 billion, with no plan whatsoever to get out of

this mess. That’s $36,411 owed for every man, woman and child in British Columbia,

a 177 percent increase over the last five years.

Debt-to-GDP is rising faster than anywhere else in Canada. It’s up to 27 percent this

year and is on its way to 35 percent in the government’s three-year fiscal plan.

Why does this matter? Taxpayers will be paying $5 billion next year in interest payments.

We’ve already had three credit rating downgrades. And believe me, there are more to

come. What does this mean for our kids? As I said, $5 billion in interest payments

and growing…. That’s more than half the Ministry of Education’s entire operating budget.

The $5 billion in interest savings could pay for not one but three patient care towers

at the University Hospital of Northern British Columbia.

As I mentioned, my mom was a nurse, and I understand how difficult that job can be.

Many dear friends work hard in our health care system day in and day out to support

patients, yet here we have a government that has failed British Columbians on health

care.

People deserve so much better. Wait times are among the worst in Canada. The Mackenzie

hospital has been closed 13 times this year, just since the beginning of January,

and it’s only the beginning of March.

Northern Health is the only health region in the entire province without a cath lab

for cardiac care. The rate of acute care beds per 1,000 population is 70 percent lower

in rural B.C. than it is in the rest of the province.

We need to see meaningful progress on these major issues in our health care system.

It’s completely reckless and irresponsible that the NDP have made choices that mean

our kids and grandkids most likely won’t have publicly funded access to health care

in the future if we keep on this path.

[3:05 p.m.]

The Finance Minister said that the government is ensuring that every dollar delivers

results for British Columbians. Over the past five years, public sector employment

in B.C. has grown by a third while private sector job growth has been virtually non-existent.

We’ll now hit 593,000 public sector employees.

What are the results from all that government spending? Housing starts fell 9.2 percent

last year in a housing crisis. Food bank usage has gone up 81 percent the last five

years in an affordability crisis. As the member opposite in the last part of the debate

said, one in five British Columbians don’t have a doctor today. That’s in a health

care crisis where people are struggling. The government’s plan is not working for

hard-working British Columbians.

I grew up working in the family business, serving customers. It’s not easy running

a small business, stressing about payroll and supporting your employees. That’s why

government needs to cut red tape, and get out of the way. It should be creating a

competitive tax regime that encourages investment.

A buddy of mine sent me a text just yesterday morning that reads: “Man, the tone of

this budget is not good. Basically nothing to support private business. And now they

just set aside money for government handouts, putting the province even more in debt.

Wow.” Well, he basically hit the reaction of the entire business community in one

short text.

It mirrors what the B.C. Chamber of Commerce said, and I quote: “Today’s budget is

sobering for both businesses and British Columbians. It does not deliver the economic

incentives, tax changes, programs or policy shifts that are required to kick-start

our economy.”

Even the BCGEU said on Tuesday that we need an economic development plan.

Now, with that in mind, let’s talk about tariffs. The last time a serious tariff war

happened, it extended the Great Depression for years and was a complete and utter

disaster. President Trump is making a serious mistake that will only contribute to

making Americans poorer.

I’m a proud Canadian and always will be, and I will always stand up for Canada. We

have to stand up for British Columbians right now.

Since the election I have been doing whatever I can to stand up for workers in Prince

George–Mackenzie. I was standing up for the 165 workers at the Tidewater refinery.

They’re at risk of losing their jobs because of broken government policy. I’m glad

the Minister of Energy finally acted last week, before it was too late. But we need

to ask ourselves: how many more workers need to be protected right now?

This is a budget speech where the Minister of Finance claimed it’s all about preparing

B.C.’s economy to withstand Trump’s tariffs. But what tangible evidence do we have

in this budget speech to actually suggest this government is doing anything on tariffs?

There’s no tariff relief plan or any jobs plan to speak of referenced in this budget.

They could have chosen to follow the lead of Nova Scotia and presented a plan to lower

internal trade barriers with our neighbouring provinces. They may as well get the

job done and call the Leader of the Opposition’s bill. That could give small businesses

a chance to diversify their markets within Canada to withstand tariffs. That’s something

tangible to stand up for British Columbians right now.

As employers and workers struggle under the conditions this government has created,

tariffs make a bad problem a terrible disaster, and workers will feel this hard in

our province.

As the opposition Labour critic, I’ve heard from many employers that the government

has disrupted the balance in labour relations, and it’s a major reason we’ve seen

such little private sector job growth.

Since 2019, there have been 12 public sector jobs created for everyone in the private

sector. It’s completely unsustainable, and nowhere else in Canada has been at this

pace. These private sector jobs matter. I met with the Steelworkers today. Forestry

jobs matter.

The NDP has dramatically shifted the balance away from employers’ ability to get ahead.

The province has made a succession of changes to the labour code, employment standards,

WorkSafeBC, added to payroll costs with the employer health tax, all without properly

consulting employers.

[3:10 p.m.]

All of these compounded with higher overall tax and regulatory environment here in

B.C. have made it a challenging and risky place to do business. Capital is starting

to flee. We’re seeing it time and time again now.

At a time when we’re worried about tariff impacts, it’s also finally time that the

NDP stop attacking the rights of workers, where they shut out the majority of workers

unless they join NDP-favoured unions. These discriminatory hiring policies in public

procurement have driven up costs, limited competition and have ultimately led to a

raw deal for taxpayers.

The Pattullo Bridge just had another increase in this budget, going up to $1.637 billion.

That’s $300 million more than forecast last year. Cowichan Hospital is up to $1.5

billion and is 63 percent over budget. This is all due to the NDP’s failed labour

and procurement policies.

There’s a better path. With a thriving private sector, we can build more projects,

give all workers opportunities and a chance for powerful paycheques and not simply

rely on public sector construction as the sole source of investment. That is the path

to make sure workers in this province can have a fighting chance against tariffs.

It’s the best way we can support families right now.

We are already in a cost-of-living crisis, and saddling people with more layers of

tax on their family budget is not going to do the job. How can we get people out of

a cost-of-living crisis that the NDP have snowballed with their 34 new or increased

taxes they’ve added for people and businesses in this province?

The NDP have broken their election promise of $1,000 to families. What other promises

are they going to break? In the place of that $1,000, we have a budget that includes

the carbon tax going up 3.3 cents a litre on April 1. That’s a 20 percent increase.

It includes a tax grab of the so-called speculation tax, of course, going up again,

and a new EV tax.

We are at a breaking point. So how do we get out of this mess? How do we actually

grow our economy in this province?

Prince George–Mackenzie is one of the ultimate resource ridings in this province.

We have all of it, from forestry, mining, oil and gas to agriculture. Before being

elected, I was part of the resource debates that we have had in communities, in media,

in government-to-government meetings and within industry. We can choose getting to

yes, or we can choose giving in to activists trying to shut down our resources.

Our resources are critical to the prosperity of B.C. At a young age, I witnessed the

impact our resource industries have on family paycheques.

I worked in the resource sectors myself. My parents didn’t have a lot of extra cash

for university tuition, and I have always had an aversion to debt myself, so I always

worked while going to school. For a couple of summers, I moved to Princeton, B.C.

My uncle owned a logging business and got me a job at the Weyerhaeuser sawmill. People

were proud of the competitive industry, and I witnessed the paycheques supporting

hundreds of families in a small town.

Later I worked at the Highland Valley Copper mine, the largest open-pit copper mine

in North America. Here was this incredible asset providing critical minerals and 1,000

high-paying jobs. My brother works there to this day.

Years later I would go on to work on the LNG projects. We had an opportunity to create

a brand-new industry for Canada, to create brand-new and significant revenues to pay

for critical services like health care. I know the members opposite would prefer that

the LNG industry didn’t exist, but here in B.C., we managed to do something pretty

incredible despite the NDP.

The LNG story in this province is one where skilled Canadian workers prove they can

build world-class projects safely, how Indigenous inclusion can be done better than

ever before and how we can change lives through jobs and economic development.

I’m proud I got to work on the largest private sector investment in Canadian history,

and soon the first cargoes from LNG Canada will leave the Douglas Channel, providing

a direct path for value-added Canadian energy to global markets. This is the power

of the private sector.

Because of this past experience, I have always believed that the path to prosperity

is through private sector investment. But why would companies invest in B.C. at this

point?

[3:15 p.m.]

The NDP just don’t get resource communities. They continue moving the goalposts, and

it’s drying up investment, going forward.

We have an NDP government that attacked major projects like Site C and TMX and the

LNG projects while they were in opposition, but they inherited gifts that were too

far advanced by the time they got to office. They also had a Premier at the time who

wasn’t afraid to push back the activists in his own party.

Now that these projects are at completion, this government hasn’t supported the certainty

needed for major investment decisions. Now we have a radical activist Premier and

a government that is driving B.C. off an economic cliff even before factoring in tariffs.

You’d think tthe government would want to invest in northern transportation infrastructure

if it actually wanted to move projects in the North forward, projects crucial for

economic development and our exports. They clearly don’t. I’m putting on the record

for the people in Prince George–Mackenzie that there is nothing in this budget for

Highway 16 whatsoever, nothing for Highway 97 north of Prince George whatsoever.

The only project north of Cache Creek is the Highway 97 slide repair at Cottonwood

Hill. This is an important one because the Cariboo connector is the only route in

and out for many in the Cariboo. But what about completing the twinning between Cache

Creek and Prince George? The NDP quietly cancelled the Cariboo connector program on

the main artery to the North for transportation.

Now let’s talk about forestry. They’ve done nothing on the softwood file their entire

term in office, and in the budget, they basically signalled that their plan is to

manage the industry’s decline.

The government is projecting a decline to 29 million cubic metres within three years,

despite an AAC of 60 million cubic metres. It doesn’t have to be this way. But they

falsely labelled old-growth forests in Interior ecosystems where that doesn’t make

sense, and they’ve created a system where we have the highest log costs in North America.

About a year and a half ago the former NDP jobs minister, now the Minister of Finance,

came to Prince George and said that the North will be fine. Since she said that, hundreds

of forestry jobs have been lost in my riding. It’s the same story in other resource

sectors. The NDP have made B.C. the most expensive mining jurisdiction in Canada to

do business, despite having critical minerals right under our feet.

They have frozen permitting in our upstream natural gas development because of decision

inertia. We have a government that is systematically driving out private sector opportunities.

B.C. needs a new government to clean up this mess, and we almost got there. The good

news is that we have a whole team of MLAs on this side of the House that will continue

to push for better results.

I want to finish with a story about the promise of British Columbia. B.C. used to

be known as the land of prosperity, and looking north was a way for a family to get

a new start.

My maternal grandparents, Penny and Willie Byron, might be watching at home. I’m so

fortunate to have them in my life, and so are the rest of their grandkids and all

of their great-grandchildren.

They moved out west from Manitoba in the 1950s. They had a Chevy pickup and 50 bucks

to their name. They were young newlyweds with a child on the way. My grandpa worked

in road construction when they first arrived in the Lower Mainland, but he soon heard

about opportunities in mining. They moved their family all the way north to Cassiar,

which is a ghost town now. There was an asbestos mine that had began operations in

1952 and created a little company town. That’s where my mom was born.

Mining fed their family as they went from Cassiar to Endako near Fraser Lake. When

they came to Prince George and saw Mr. P.G., my mom thought they had really made it

to the Big Smoke. But they also spent time in the Kootenays and then eventually to

Similco in Princeton, now Copper Mountain mine. Mining supported that family of four

kids and gave them a life to be proud of.

We need to restore the promise of British Columbia again in this province. This is

a place of opportunity. We have all the natural advantages in B.C.: rich in resources,

access to tidewater and skilled workers in search of higher value opportunities.

[3:20 p.m.]

Instead, there was a record out-migration last year, mostly to Alberta and mostly

young people. The NDP budget shows that British Columbia lost over 5,000 residents

to other provinces. The government expects a net outflow of more than 14,000 residents

in 2025.

It doesn’t have to be this way. We can create opportunities right here at home to

fight back against economic headwinds. We can make decisions based on science rather

than caving in to activists’ fearmongering.

Let’s make B.C. the investment jurisdiction of choice in Canada. Let’s get to yes

and stick to yes. Return B.C. to the province of prosperity through our resources

and our major projects.

British Columbians deserve a government that listens to their concerns and acts in

their best interests. The Conservative Party of British Columbia stands ready to provide

the leadership and solutions necessary to achieve a prosperous future for all who

live here. Let’s restore the place that my grandparents moved to in search of a better

opportunity for their family.

I won’t be supporting this budget.

Rohini Arora : I rise to speak in support of the budget speech, Bill 6, the supply act.

I want to begin by acknowledging that I am speaking today on the lands of the lək̓ʷəŋən peoples, including the Songhees and the Esquimalt Nations, who have been stewards

of this land since time immemorial.

Noting the nations of this territory is not the only acknowledgement I have to share

today. I also want to acknowledge that the residential school system happened and

has caused intergenerational trauma.

I’m deeply disturbed by the ongoing anti-Indigenous rhetoric perpetuated by the member

for Vancouver-Quilchena. In denying the impacts of the residential school system on

First Nations, Inuit and Métis peoples, further harm is being caused. I worry for

the health, mental health and healing journeys of Indigenous communities not only

in B.C. but across Canada.

When a member of this very chamber holds such ignorant and harmful views and is using

same…. The member’s job, like all of ours, is to serve all constituents of her riding.

I urge her to issue an apology to the Opposition House Leader, to open her heart and

to meet with First Nations communities to expand her knowledge on this issue.

I want to thank our Premier for standing up for the Opposition House Leader, whose

identity goes beyond her political stripes.

As a member of my own caucus, I want to know that all my colleagues s