British Columbia Hansard — Monday, February 25, 2002

H0225pm-13

British Columbia — Debates (Hansard)

3rd Session, 37th Parliament OFFICIAL REPORT OF DEBATES OF THE LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY (HANSARD) Monday, February 25, 2002 Afternoon Sitting Volume 3, Number 13 THE HONOURABLE CLAUDE RICHMOND, SPEAKER ISSN 0709-1281

PROVINCE OF BRITISH COLUMBIA (Entered Confederation July 20, 1871) LIEUTENANT-GOVERNOR Honourable Iona Campagnolo 3RD SESSION, 37TH PARLIAMENT SPEAKER OF THE LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY Honourable Claude Richmond EXECUTIVE COUNCIL Premier and President of the Executive Council................................................................................. .........................Hon. Gordon Campbell Minister of State for Intergovernmental Relations.............................................................................. ..................... Hon.

Greg Halsey-Brandt Deputy Premier and Minister of Education ....................................................................................... ..................................Hon. Christy Clark Minister of Advanced Education................................................................................................. ...........................................Hon. Shirley Bond Minister of Agriculture, Food and Fisheries.................................................................................... ..............................Hon.

John van Dongen Attorney General and Minister Responsible for Treaty Negotiations.............................................................. .................... Hon. Geoff Plant Minister of Children and Family Development.................................................................................... ..............................Hon. Gordon Hogg Minister of State for Early Childhood Development.............................................................................. .................................Hon.

Linda Reid Minister of Community, Aboriginal and Women's Services......................................................................... .................. Hon. George Abbott Minister of State for Community Charter........................................................................................ .................................. Hon. Ted Nebbeling Minister of State for Women's Equality ......................................................................................... .................................... Hon.

Lynn Stephens Minister of Competition, Science and Enterprise ................................................................................ ..................................Hon. Rick Thorpe Minister of State for Deregulation ............................................................................................. ............................................ Hon. Kevin Falcon Minister of Energy and Mines................................................................................................... ....................................... Hon.

Richard Neufeld Minister of Finance ............................................................................................................ ....................................................... Hon. Gary Collins Minister of Forests ............................................................................................................ .................................................. Hon. Michael de Jong Minister of Health Planning .................................................................................................... ............................................ Hon.

Sindi Hawkins Minister of Health Services.................................................................................................... ................................................ Hon. Colin Hansen Minister of State for Mental Health ............................................................................................ ...................................Hon. Gulzar S. Cheema Minister of State for Intermediate, Long Term and Home Care ............................................................................. Hon.

Katherine Whittred Minister of Human Resources.................................................................................................... ............................................Hon. Murray Coell Minister of Management Services................................................................................................ .........................................Hon. Sandy Santori Minister of Provincial Revenue................................................................................................. ................................................Hon.

Bill Barisoff Minister of Public Safety and Solicitor General ................................................................................ ..................................Hon. Rich Coleman Minister of Skills Development and Labour...................................................................................... .............................Hon. Graham P. Bruce Minister of Sustainable Resource Management.................................................................................... ..................................Hon.

Stan Hagen Minister of Transportation..................................................................................................... .................................................... Hon. Judith Reid Minister of Water, Land and Air Protection..................................................................................... ....................................Hon. Joyce Murray LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY Deputy Speaker................................................................................................................. ..............................................................

John Weisbeck Leader of the Opposition ....................................................................................................... ...........................................................Joy MacPhail Deputy Chair, Committee of the Whole ........................................................................................... .............................................. Harold Long Clerk of the Legislative Assembly .............................................................................................. .........................................E.

George MacMinn Clerk Assistant ................................................................................................................ ................................................................... Robert Vaive Clerk Assistant and Law Clerk .................................................................................................. ........................................................ Ian D. Izard Clerk Assistant and Clerk of Committees........................................................................................ ............................................Craig H.

James Committee Clerk................................................................................................................ ......................................................... Kate Ryan-Lloyd Sergeant-at-Arms ............................................................................................................... .........................................................A.A. Humphreys Director, Hansard Services ..................................................................................................... ........................................

Anthony Dambrauskas Legislative Librarian.......................................................................................................... ............................................................. Joan A. Barton Legislative Comptroller ........................................................................................................ .................................................................Peter Bray Published by British Columbia Hansard Services, and printed under the authority of the Speaker by the Queen's Printer, Victoria.

Rates: single issue, $2.85; per calendar year, mailed daily, $298. GST extra. Agent: Crown Publications Inc., 521 Fort St., Victoria, B.C. V8W 1E7. Telephone: (250) 386-4636. Fax: 386-0221. Internet: www.legis.gov.bc.ca/hansard

Party Standings: Liberal 77; New Democratic 2. ALPHABETICAL LIST OF MEMBERS Abbott, Hon. George (L) ....................................................................... Shuswap Anderson, Val J. (L) .............................................................Vancouver-Langara Barisoff, Hon. Bill (L)............................................. Penticton–Okanagan Valley Bell, Pat (L).........................................................................Prince George North Belsey, Bill (L).................................................................................

North Coast Bennett, Bill (L) ........................................................................... East Kootenay Bhullar, Tony (L) ........................................................................ Surrey-Newton Bloy, Harry (L).................................................................................. Burquitlam Bond, Hon. Shirley (L).........................................Prince George–Mount Robson Bray, Jeff (L)......................................................................Victoria–Beacon H ill Brenzinger, Elayne (L) ...............................................................

Surrey-Whalley Brice, Susan (L) ............................................................................Saanich South Bruce, Hon. Graham P. (L)................................................ Cowichan-Ladysmith Campbell, Hon. Gordon (L)............................................. Vancouver–Point Grey Cheema, Hon. Gulzar S. (L) ..........................................Surrey–Panorama Ridge Chong, Ida (L)................................................................ Oak Bay–Gordon Head Christensen, Tom (L) .............................................................

Okanagan-Vernon Chutter, Dave (L) ........................................................................... Yale-L illooet Clark, Hon. Christy (L) ..................................................Port Moody–Westwood Cobb, Walt (L) ............................................................................. Cariboo South Coell, Hon. Murray (L) ........................................ Saanich North and the Islands Coleman, Hon. Rich (L) .............................................. Fort Langley–Aldergrove Collins, Hon.

Gary (L).........................................................Vancouver-Fairview de Jong, Hon. Michael (L)....................................... Abbotsford–Mount Lehman Falcon, Hon. Kevin (L) .......................................................... Surrey-Cloverdale Hagen, Hon. Stan (L) ................................................................... Comox Valley Halsey-Brandt, Hon. Greg (L) ..................................................Richmond Centre Hamilton, Arnie (L)............................................................Esquimalt-Metchosin Hansen, Hon.

Colin (L) .....................................................Vancouver-Quilchena Harris, Roger (L)......................................................................................Skeena Hawes, Randy (L) ............................................................ Maple Ridge–Mission Hawkins, Hon. Sindi (L).......................................................... Kelowna-Mission Hayer, Dave S. (L) ................................................................... Surrey-Tynehead Hogg, Hon. Gordon (L) ........................................................

Surrey–White Rock Hunter, Mike (L) ...................................................................................Nanaimo Jarvis, Daniel (L)...................................................... North Vancouver–Seymour Johnston, Ken (L)............................................................ Vancouver-Fraserview Kerr, Brian J. (L).............................................................. Malahat–Juan de Fuca Krueger, Kevin (L).................................................

Kamloops–North Thompson Kwan, Jenny Wai Ching (NDP) ...............................Vancouver–Mount Pleasant Lee, Richard T. (L).......................................................................Burnaby North Lekstrom, Blair (L)................................................................. Peace River South Les, John (L) .......................................................................... Ch illiwack-Sumas Locke, Brenda (L) ...........................................................

Surrey–Green Timbers Long, Harold (L) ...................................................Powell River–Sunshine Coast MacKay, Dennis (L)....................................................... Bulkley Valley–Stikine McMahon, Wendy (L).............................................Columbia River–Revelstoke MacPhail, Joy (NDP) ..........................................................

Vancouver-Hastings Manhas, Karn (L) .............................................Port Coquitlam–Burke Mountain Masi, Reni (L) ...................................................................................Delta North Mayencourt, Lorne (L) ..........................................................Vancouver-Burrard Murray, Hon. Joyce (L) ........................................................... New Westminster Nebbeling, Hon. Ted (L) ..........................................

West Vancouver–Garibaldi Nettleton, Paul (L).........................................................Prince George–Omineca Neufeld, Hon. Richard (L)...................................................... Peace River North Nijjar, Rob (L)...................................................................Vancouver-Kingsway Nuraney, John (L) ...............................................................Burnaby-W illingdon Orr, Sheila (L) ...........................................................................Victoria-Hillside Penner, Barry (L).......................................................................

Ch illiwack-Kent Plant, Hon. Geoff (L) ......................................................... Richmond-Steveston Reid, Hon. Judith (L)............................................................Nanaimo-Parksv ille Reid, Hon. Linda (L) ................................................................... Richmond East Richmond, Hon. Claude (L) ................................................................

Kamloops Roddick, Valerie (L)..........................................................................Delta South Sahota, Patty (L).....................................................................Burnaby-Edmonds Santori, Hon. Sandy (L)..............................................West Kootenay–Boundary Stephens, Hon. Lynn (L) ........................................................................ Langley Stewart, Ken (L)...................................................... Maple Ridge–Pitt Meadows Stewart, Richard (L) ......................................................

Coquitlam-Maillardville Suffredine, Blair F. (L) ................................................................Nelson-Creston Sultan, Ralph (L)....................................................... West Vancouver–Capilano Thorpe, Hon. Rick (L) ..........................................................Okanagan-Westside Trumper, Gillian (L)................................................................Alberni-Qualicum van Dongen, Hon.

John (L) ................................................Abbotsford-Clayburn Visser, Rod (L).................................................................................North Island Weisbeck, John (L).........................................................Kelowna–Lake Country Whittred, Hon. Katherine (L) ...................................North Vancouver–Lonsdale Wilson, John (L)...........................................................................

Cariboo North Wong, Patrick (L)............................................................Vancouver-Kensington LIST OF MEMBERS BY RIDING Abbotsford-Clayburn....................................................... Hon. John van Dongen Abbotsford–Mount Lehman ..............................................Hon.

Michael de Jong Alberni-Qualicum.......................................................................G illian Trumper Bulkley Valley–Stikine ..............................................................Dennis MacKay Burnaby North..............................................................................Richard T. Lee Burnaby-Edmonds............................................................................Patty Sahota Burnaby-Willingdon......................................................................

John Nuraney Burquitlam ........................................................................................ Harry Bloy Cariboo North ..................................................................................John Wilson Cariboo South .................................................................................... Walt Cobb Chilliwack-Kent ............................................................................. Barry Penner Chilliwack-Sumas .................................................................................

John Les Columbia River–Revelstoke....................................................Wendy McMahon Comox Valley .......................................................................... Hon. Stan Hagen Coquitlam-Maillardville .............................................................Richard Stewart Cowichan-Ladysmith .......................................................Hon. Graham P. Bruce Delta North.......................................................................................... Reni Masi Delta South................................................................................

Valerie Roddick East Kootenay .................................................................................. Bill Bennett Esquimalt-Metchosin...................................................................Arnie Hamilton Fort Langley–Aldergrove ..................................................... Hon. Rich Coleman Kamloops ....................................................................... Hon. Claude Richmond Kamloops–North Thompson ........................................................Kevin Krueger Kelowna–Lake Country...............................................................

John Weisbeck Kelowna-Mission ................................................................ Hon. Sindi Hawkins Langley ............................................................................... Hon. Lynn Stephens Malahat–Juan de Fuca .....................................................................Brian J. Kerr Maple Ridge–Mission ................................................................... Randy Hawes Maple Ridge–Pitt Meadows .............................................................Ken Stewart Nanaimo..........................................................................................

Mike Hunter Nanaimo-Parksville ...................................................................Hon. Judith Reid Nelson-Creston.......................................................................Blair F. Suffredine New Westminster ..................................................................Hon. Joyce Murray North Coast ........................................................................................Bill Belsey North Island........................................................................................Rod Visser North Vancouver–Lonsdale.......................................... Hon.

Katherine Wh ittred North Vancouver–Seymour .............................................................Daniel Jarvis Oak Bay–Gordon Head .......................................................................Ida Chong Okanagan-Vernon .................................................................... Tom Christensen Okanagan-Westside.................................................................Hon. Rick Thorpe Peace River North .............................................................Hon. Richard Neufeld Peace River South .......................................................................

Blair Lekstrom Penticton–Okanagan Valley ....................................................Hon. Bill Barisoff Port Coquitlam–Burke Mountain.................................................... Karn Manhas Port Moody–Westwood......................................................... Hon. Christy Clark Powell River–Sunshine Coast.......................................................... Harold Long Prince George North................................................................................Pat Bell Prince George–Mount Robson................................................Hon.

Shirley Bond Prince George–Omineca................................................................Paul Nettleton Richmond Centre......................................................... Hon. Greg Halsey-Brandt Richmond East .......................................................................... Hon. Linda Reid Richmond-Steveston ................................................................ Hon. Geoff Plant Saanich North and the Islands ............................................... Hon. Murray Coell Saanich South...................................................................................

Susan Brice Shuswap .............................................................................. Hon. George Abbott Skeena.............................................................................................Roger Harris Surrey-Cloverdale ................................................................. Hon. Kevin Falcon Surrey–Green Timbers .................................................................. Brenda Locke Surrey-Newton ............................................................................... Tony Bhullar Surrey–Panorama Ridge................................................. Hon.

Gulzar S. Cheema Surrey-Tynehead .......................................................................... Dave S. Hayer Surrey-Whalley ...................................................................... Elayne Brenzinger Surrey–White Rock ...............................................................Hon. Gordon Hogg Vancouver-Burrard................................................................. Lorne Mayencourt Vancouver-Fairview............................................................... Hon.

Gary Co llins Vancouver-Fraserview ...................................................................Ken Johnston Vancouver-Hastings .......................................................................Joy MacPhail Vancouver-Kensington...................................................................Patrick Wong Vancouver-Kingsway..........................................................................Rob Nijjar Vancouver-Langara....................................................................Val J.

Anderson Vancouver–Mount Pleasant............................................Jenny Wai Ching Kwan Vancouver–Point Grey ................................................... Hon. Gordon Campbell Vancouver-Quilchena............................................................ Hon. Colin Hansen Victoria–Beacon Hill.............................................................................Jeff Bray Victoria-Hillside.................................................................................. Sheila Orr West Kootenay–Boundary.................................................... Hon.

Sandy Santori West Vancouver–Capilano ..............................................................Ralph Sultan West Vancouver–Garibaldi ................................................. Hon. Ted Nebbeling Yale-Lillooet .................................................................................. Dave Chutter

CONTENTS Monday, February 25, 2002 Afternoon Sitting Routine Proceedings Page Tributes....................................................................................................................... .............................................................. 1305 Hon. G. Campbell J.

MacPhail Introductions by Members....................................................................................................... ............................................... 1305 Statements (Standing Order 25 B).............................................................................................................................. .............. 1306 Langford and Malahat volunteer firefighters.................................................................................... .................................................. 1306 B.

Kerr Impact of government communications on fisheries policies on coastal communities.................................................................. 1306 R. Visser Canadian Home Builders Association conference.................................................................................. ............................................ 1306 R.

Stewart Oral Questions................................................................................................................. ......................................................... 1307 Funding of legal aid services .................................................................................................. ............................................................... 1307 J. Kwan Hon. G. Plant Hon. L. Stephens Government support for small communities ....................................................................................... ............................................... 1307 J.

MacPhail Hon. G. Campbell Hon. G. Abbott 2010 Vancouver-Whistler Olympic bid ............................................................................................ .................................................... 1308 W. McMahon Hon. T. Nebbeling Funding for services for disabled persons ...................................................................................... ..................................................... 1308 S. Orr Hon. G.

Hogg Recall legislation ............................................................................................................. ........................................................................ 1309 J. MacPhail Hon. G. Campbell Health care pilot project for northern and rural communities .......................................................................................................... 1309 B. Bennett Hon. C.

Hansen Point of Order ................................................................................................................. .......................................................... 1309 J. Kwan Hon. G. Collins Budget Debate (continued) ...................................................................................................... ............................................... 1310 Hon. S. Hagen.................................................................................................................. ........................................................................ 1310 Hon. J.

Reid................................................................................................................... ........................................................................... 1312 H. Long........................................................................................................................ ............................................................................. 1314 Hon. G.

Bruce .................................................................................................................. ........................................................................ 1316 Hon. L. Stephens ............................................................................................................... ...................................................................... 1321 S. Orr......................................................................................................................... ................................................................................ 1323 J.

Bray........................................................................................................................ ................................................................................ 1325 V. Anderson.................................................................................................................... ......................................................................... 1330 I.

Chong....................................................................................................................... ............................................................................. 1333

1305 MONDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 2002 The House met at 2:02 p.m. Tributes CANADIAN OLYMPIANS Hon. G. Campbell: Yesterday all of Canada cele- brated the incredibly successful Olympic event that we had. I thought it would be worthwhile for this House to recognize, in particular, the 25 B.C. Olympians who participated during the Olympics.

While we all celebrate the men's hockey success and the women's hockey success and the excellence that they brought to their sports, I think we have to recognize the incredible effort that went in for over two dozen B.C. athletes who dedicated their time, their effort and their energy to be able to compete on behalf o f C anad a i n t he O l y m p i c G a m e s . T he y wo u l d b e t he first to tell us that their support came from coaches, from family members and from friends who were al- ways working to make sure they could achieve their best and reach their firm goals.

I can't tell you how proud I was to see the Canadian athletes participating and being successful not just for Canada but for them- selves, in their individual initiative as well as in their teamwork. Yesterday Team Canada did an exceptional job, but I can tell you that I was in Williams Lake for the open- ing of the British Columbia Winter Games on a rainy, cold Thursday evening, and every single one of those people couldn't stop cheering for the Canadian women's hockey team, who won the first gold medal in hockey for Canada in 50 years.

Everyone was glued to their television set yesterday as we watched as the men not only beat the United States, they trumped them with skill, with energy and with effort that reflects the skill, energy and effort of Canadians from coast to coast to coast. On behalf of this Legislature, I would like to con- gratulate and would like the Legislature to congratu- late our 25 Olympians and the contribution they made to the Canadian effort. I'd like to remind every- one that in the year 2010, we're going to do ten times that well. [1405] J.

MacPhail: I'm delighted to join with the Premier today to echo his comments on how much we appreci- ate the wonderful work of all our Canadian athletes, particularly our British Columbia athletes. We heard, over the last week, our own Don Cherry describe the opposition as a couple of left-wingers who couldn't top 180 on the scale together. So today we suited up to show our support and to say that we may be left- wingers, but we're heavy into defence, and we support everything that happened. Introductions by Members W.

Cobb: To the Premier, I was involved in the closing ceremonies yesterday for our Winter Games, and the closing ceremonies happened when the an- nouncement came over that the men had won the gold. If you think it was loud on the first day, it was even louder yesterday. Also, today I would like to ask the House to wel- come…. As you know, this morning I introduced some people from one of my communities. This afternoon I have another group of people here from another one of the communities. I would like to welcome Mayor Donna Barnett and her administrator, Dianne Lawson.

Talking about rural communities, welcome, Donna and Dianne. They're from 100 Mile House, and this is just an example of what we're trying to do in rural B.C. to get B.C. back on its feet. They're down here, and we're meeting with different ministers, and we're having a really positive meeting. Hon. M. Coell: I would like the House to join me in welcoming Don Toth, MLA for Moosomin, Saskatche- wan. He's the critic for the Ministry of Social Services, and he's here to meet with MLAs and ministers. Hon. G.

Bruce: In the House today with my wife and my son, who you all know very, very well, is my niece Sarah Whunderlich and two other friends of hers, Deanna Vanice and Heather MacDonald. They are all students at Trinity Western. It might be of interest to the House that my niece Sarah is in the last year of soon becoming a nurse here in this great province of British Columbia. Deanna is in communications, and Heather is in human sciences. More importantly, though, Deanna is actually from that great country, the United States of America.

Yes- terday we all gathered at my brother's place to watch that great hockey game. Being a competitive family as we are, but understanding of the good wishes that go on in a game like that, I let her know that the Minister of Forests had thought about bringing in a ban of all softwood products that had got to the United States, meaning that we would have to have withdrawn all the hockey sticks their team was going to play with. But really, we wanted to have a fair competition, so we left the hockey sticks there with their club. As we had lunch, we of course gathered as a family in the dining room.

Deanna was downstairs in the little room with the smaller television, but in a very magnanimous way, as only my family can be, at 18 minutes and 40 seconds of the third period we invited Deanna to come upstairs and enjoy the rest of the game with us. Could we make all of them feel welcome, and a particularly fine round to Deanna for the great game the United States of America played against our fine hockey squad of Canada. Hon. R. Thorpe: It's a pleasure for me to introduce a friend of mine. We worked together some 14 years

1306 B RITISH COLUMBIA DEBATES M ONDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 2002 ago. He lives in Surrey–White Rock: Bill Brooks. Join- ing Bill today is his friend and business associate, Alan McInnes. They're here in Victoria to meet officials. Mr. Speaker: Hon. members, for the benefit of those members who may not have been present this morning, I would like to advise the House that we have two Clerks from other jurisdictions on attachment to our House this week: Mr. Charles MacKay, the Clerk of the House in Prince Edward Island, and Ms. Lore- dana Catalli Sonier, the Clerk of the House in New Brunswick.

Please join me in welcoming both of these Clerks to our House. [1410] Statements (Standing Order 25B) LANGFORD AND MALAHAT VOLUNTEER FIREFIGHTERS B. Kerr: As a result of the horror of September 11, we've heard a number of stories about the courage and dedication of the firefighters who worked at Ground Zero. I'd like to say that the courageous efforts of fire- fighters is not restricted to New York alone. We have very dedicated, selfless and heroic firefighters right in our own back yard. On July 17, 2000, there was a very serious accident on the Malahat highway just north of here.

This acci- dent involved a propane tanker truck and resulted in the tragic death of the driver. But only the driver was killed. That the tragedy did not take even more lives was a result of the dedication, hard work and selfless efforts of the volunteer firefighters of Langford and Malahat. All through that terrible night and for most of the next 24 hours, these brave volunteers put their lives at risk to eliminate a significant threat to public safety from thousands of litres of highly explosive propane leaking from the twisted wreckage.

I'm pleased to inform the House that their efforts have not gone entirely unnoticed. A couple of weeks ago Mayor Stew Young of Langford and I were given the honour of awarding to the volunteer firefighters of Langford and Malahat the Governor General's certifi- cate of commendation. Now, this award is not given lightly. The recipients are chosen through a voting process after being deemed eligible by the Canadian Decorations Advisory Committee. It is issued only to those individuals who have made a significant contribution by providing as- sistance to another person in a selfless manner.

I'd like to congratulate again the firefighters of Mala- hat and Langford and the two private individuals who also assisted and received this prestigious certificate. IMPACT OF GOVERNMENT COMMUNICATIONS ON FISHERIES POLICIES ON COASTAL COMMUNITIES R. Visser: An area of considerable concern to the people of North Island, and indeed all coastal commu- nities, is the relationship between the federal Depart- ment of Fisheries and Oceans and our Ministry of Ag- riculture, Food and Fisheries.

I believe we have come a long way in a few short months in building a working relationship that is based on trust, sound science and continuous and meaningful dialogue, but there is still work to do. I represent a number of those coastal communities, aboriginal and non-aboriginal alike, whose very exis- tence is based on their relationship to the sea. The De- partment of Fisheries and Oceans has a profound im- pact on those people's ability to make a living, raise their families and contribute to the fabric of their com- munities.

We need to dramatically improve the communica- tions on issues around the timing of fisheries manage- ment announcements, be they sport fisheries or an- nouncements for the hard-hit commercial sector. Not only do people feel left out, but it is an economic im- perative to have the information as early and as clearly as possible. People and businesses make decisions. They make investments in equipment and staff, and they take in deposits on fishing vacations from people a r o u n d t h e w o r l d .

T i m i n g d e l a y s i n D F O ' s f i s h e r i e s management decisions affect their ability to plan, the range of choices they can make and, in many cases, whether they succeed or fail. We also need to strengthen the communications around regulations under the federal Fisheries Act. Decisions should be timely and certain. Whether you're in aquaculture, tourism, forestry or commercial fishing, you are faced with duplicate and often parallel proc- esses. We need to encourage and nurture investment in our coastal communities, and excessive and duplicate red tape is a significant and real barrier to success.

I want to close by thanking the Hon. Herb Dhaliwal for his hard work as the federal Minister of Fisheries, and I would like to extend an invitation to the new minister, Robert Thibault — himself a native of rural Nova Scotia — to visit British Columbia. We need this dialogue between the two levels of government to grow. I would welcome the minister to Victoria and to the North Island. I encourage him to see firsthand the challenges we face and some of the solutions our gov- ernment has. CANADIAN HOME BUILDERS ASSOCIATION CONFERENCE R.

Stewart: This week the city of Victoria is hosting the fifty-ninth annual national conference of the Cana- dian Home Builders Association. Hundreds of dele- gates have descended upon this beautiful city to dis- cuss issues and challenges associated with housing Canadians from coast to coast. [1415] Housing is vitally important to the integrity of communities and the health of families and individu- als. As a society, I believe we must work hard to ensure that appropriate housing is available for our young people, for seniors, for people with disabilities, for

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 2002 B RITISH COLUMBIA DEBATES 1307 families — both traditional and non-traditional — for aboriginal citizens and for all citizens facing challenges associated with poverty, health, mental health, domes- tic violence and a host of other social challenges facing our society. Home ownership is recognized as an outstanding goal for governments to adopt. At the same time, home ownership is often out of reach of many citizens and families for a variety of reasons.

Affordability is cer- tainly number one among those reasons, and govern- ments must continually evaluate the ways in which we can affect as governments, positively and negatively, the affordability of such an important consumer good. We must recognize that we owe a duty to all citizens to ensure that at every income level, our society has hous- ing available. That doesn't mean that governments must build housing. It means, though, as I believe, that afforda- bility of market housing can be enhanced and that the market, both conventional and non-profit, can satisfy the vast majority of our housing needs.

I want to applaud the Canadian Home Builders Association for its ongoing work in advocating the continuous improvement of Canadian housing stock such that Canadians are among the best housed people in the world. Of course, there are many challenges still to be addressed, challenges that I know the CHBA is working on: energy efficiency, durability, quality, sus- tainability, accessibility and of course affordability. Finally, I want to welcome those delegates to Victoria. Oral Questions FUNDING OF LEGAL AID SERVICES J. Kwan: The Attorney General is cutting $34 mil- lion from legal aid.

Members of his own party call this shocking and disturbing. At the same time, his gov- ernment is raising taxes on legal aid services — money that is supposed to fund legal aid. Mr. Speaker, not so long ago in this House the Attorney General asked: isn't there something wrong with taking all this money from legal accounts yet not actually directing all of that revenue into legal aid services? What an excellent ques- tion. To the Attorney General: what is the answer?

Is it good public policy to divert money from providing legal aid services, from the people who are most in need, just to pay for tax cuts for the wealthiest in Brit- ish Columbia? Hon. G. Plant: Well, it was a good question when I asked it, because it was those members in the NDP who introduced the tax and then failed to fund legal aid when they were in government. That was what made the question good. Now, today we face a $4.4 billion deficit in the province of British Columbia, and some difficult decisions have to be made.

What we can do within the resources that are available is that we can ensure that people accused of criminal offences have access to legal aid, that domestic violence matters will involve legal aid, that child protection matters will be covered by legal aid, that mental health matters will be protected by legal aid. We'll have money for a public legal education and information program, and there will be funding for family law legal aid. Three years from now British Columbia will still have the third- most-generous legal aid program in Canada. I think the members of this House should be proud of that fact. J.

Kwan: This government will be profiting more than $42 million from taxes on legal aid. Yet he is cut- ting legal aid services funding. Legal aid is not simply a service; it is a right. By denying this service to single mothers who are fighting to support their children or to protect themselves from violence and abuse, this government is attacking the rights of women. There was a time when the Minister of State for Women's Equality in this House stated, "It is really quite shock- ing when you look at the fact that single mothers and women are severely disadvantaged" when it comes to legal aid.

Given the huge cuts to legal aid that will impact most harshly on women, will the Minister of State for Women's Equality stand today and tell this House: was she wrong then, or is the Attorney General wrong now? [1420] Hon. L. Stephens: You know, we stand in this House, and we listen to the members opposite here. Those of us that have been in this House over the past ten years have heard over and over again the rhetoric of the members opposite. You know, it was those mem- b e r s o f t h a t p r e v i o u s g o v e r n m e n t t h a t h a v e u s i n t h e problems we have today.

We have a $3.8 billion struc- tural deficit, thanks to those members opposite. There are some tough choices we have to make. Mr. Speaker, I can tell you that this government is protecting essential priority services for women in this province. GOVERNMENT SUPPORT FOR SMALL COMMUNITIES J. MacPhail: Small communities in British Colum- bia are being hammered by this government. I'd like to quote from a letter from the district of Hope sent to the Premier recently.

It says: "With all the cuts to jobs and services within our province that were announced yes- terday, it seems that many of the smaller communities are to bear the brunt of these cuts. The district of Hope can ill afford any more cuts to jobs and services within our municipality." The letter then goes on to ask that small communities be consulted before the province starts closing hospitals and be invited to tomorrow's provincial congress meeting.

Can the Minister of Community, Aboriginal and Women's Services please tell the House why B.C.'s small communities have been shut out of tomorrow's provincial congress meeting? Hon. G. Campbell: Tomorrow's provincial con- gress meeting is a historic first. It will bring into one room every MLA, every MP, every Senator, as well as

1308 B RITISH COLUMBIA DEBATES M ONDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 2002 representatives of the five municipal associations, the president of the UBCM and 15 largest communities in British Columbia as well as first nations representa- tives. We all represent the same British Columbians. Small communities will be heard, large communities will be heard, and the federal government, provincial government, local government and first nations gov- ernment will all be heard tomorrow for the first time in the history of the province. J. MacPhail: I can understand why the Premier didn't want the minister to answer the question.

There are some words that the minister responsible for com- munities said a few weeks ago, when he was asked about cuts to small communities. In an interview with the Metro Valley News , he said to municipalities: "Well, cry me a river; that's the way it goes." That's the kind of attitude that's got small communities so angry in this province. Here are some more words, the words of Kimberley city councillor Ron McRae. He said it would appear that the government is ignoring the needs of small communities.

Again, to the Minister of Community, Aboriginal and Women's Services: is that because they don't matter to this minister and this government, or is it because the government has spent a lot of time and money to showcase the Premier and the provincial congress, and it doesn't want small communities rain- ing on his parade? Hon. G. Abbott: It's interesting that Burnaby's now been relegated to a small community, because that's where the interview was. I think there's an im- portant point here.

What I was making very clear to the reporter was that there are two models for dealing with fiscal challenges in the province. In the one case — and that would be the NDP government in 1996 — rather than deal with their own problems, what they did was download $113 million of problems onto lo- cal government. They downloaded their problems onto local governments, including small communi- ties. Well, I think that's wrong that they would do that. We've advanced a different model where we pro- tected resources to local government — $130 million across the board.

If I was going to be proud of some- thing, I'd be proud of that. I'd be ashamed — I'd hang my head — if I was a member of this opposi- tion. [1425] 2010 VANCOUVER-WHISTLER OLYMPIC BID W. McMahon: My question is to the minister re- sponsible for the 2010 Olympic bid. After yesterday's dramatic gold medal performance by Canada's men's team and last Thursday's performance by the women, I know that many British Columbians are excited about the prospect of the 2010 Winter Olympics bid. Can the minister responsible for the 2010 Olympic bid tell us the current status of our bid? Hon. T.

Nebbeling: I'd like to thank the member for Columbia River–Revelstoke for her question, be- cause it's a good one. As we all know, it's been 50 years since Canada's ice hockey team brought back the gold to Canada. It is the intention of this government, the federal govern- ment and the bid corporation not to have to wait for another 50 years. What we see happening now, of course, is that the populace of British Columbia has gotten very enthusiastically behind the whole Olympic movement.

There's no doubt, if we succeed in having the 2010 Olympics here, that British Columbians will have the very best seat in the house. It will be home ice, and there is no doubt that we will have another good shot at bringing more gold medals here. The federal government, the provincial government and the 2010 Olympic Bid Corporation work very hard, very diligently, and are willing to move every moun- tain that needs to be moved to indeed succeed in bring- ing the Olympics to British Columbia. Mr. Speaker: The member for Columbia River– Revelstoke with a supplementary question. W.

McMahon: While British Columbians are excited about the possibility of hosting the 2010 Winter Olym- pics, many of my constituents are interested in knowing how those benefits can flow into their communities. Will the minister responsible for the 2010 Olympic bid tell us how regions outside the lower mainland can expect to benefit from a successful bid? Hon. T. Nebbeling: This bid is for all British Co- lumbians. That's how we started, and that's how we will continue.

When we succeed in bringing the Winter Olympic Games and the Paralympic Games to British Columbia, it will have tremendous benefit for all our communities and all the people living in our province. The games will play a major role in stimulating our economy through opportunities that we will have to showcase British Co- lumbia to the world at large, showcase the opportunities that British Columbia can offer the world at large — opportunities in our natural resource industries, our high-tech and knowledge-based industries. The manu- facturing sector will see tremendous boost and demand for product.

And, of course, tourism as an industry will be shining brighter than ever before when we get the worldwide exposure of these Olympic Games. This is an investment in the long-term prosperity of our province. This is an investment in British Columbi- ans everywhere in the province. I believe it will deliver on that promise. FUNDING FOR SERVICES FOR DISABLED PERSONS S. Orr: M y q u e s t i o n i s t o t h e M i n i s t e r o f C h i l d r e n and Family Development. A tragic murder-suicide in Kelowna recently high- lighted the need for support services to help the devel-

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 2002 B RITISH COLUMBIA DEBATES 1309 opmentally disabled. Despite help from their loved ones, developmentally disabled adults continue to face very, very difficult challenges. To the minister: what is his ministry doing to ad- dress the needs of these British Columbians? Hon. G. Hogg: I'm sure everyone in this House — indeed, everyone who was familiar with the story — was saddened that a family could feel that their op- tions were so extreme that they had to choose to take lives.

The family had approached the government, I be- lieve, in 1998 in an effort to find some support services for themselves.

There were no support services avail- able, inasmuch as at the time we were trying to fit peo- ple into services rather than finding services that could respond more specifically to the needs of the individu- als. [1430] We have looked at that, and we have looked at a number of other issues that have come forward in the past number of years, and we're actually now proceed- ing forward with an individualized funding model that will allow for families to have services to wrap around the individuals rather than trying to fit the individuals into a service.

We're responding by that, and it is covered in our service plan that we'll be moving forward with indi- vidualized funding models to support families such as the one the member refers to. RECALL LEGISLATION J. MacPhail: The Premier's new-era campaign promise was to "establish workable recall legislation to make it easier for citizens to hold MLAs accountable. " The throne speech was silent on that promise. To the Premier: why? Hon. G.

Campbell: One of the things we undertook to British Columbians during the last election is that we would appoint a citizens assembly that would be able to look at the way they would like to have government operate, the way they would like to have government elected. It seems reasonable to me that the rules for recall, which were up for a great deal of concern from British Columbians…. It made sense for people to have a chance to have a say on that. That will be done. It will be undertaken, and it will be completed prior to May 17, 2005, when this government goes to the people to be held to account.

HEALTH CARE PILOT PROJECT FOR NORTHERN AND RURAL COMMUNITIES B. Bennett: I have a question for the Minister of Health Services this afternoon. Before I provide my question, I'd like to preface it by saying that since the announcement of this government's restructuring of health care in British Columbia, the hospital in my home community of Cranbrook has not been on diver- sion, and we have been on diversion at that hospital any number of times — dozens and dozens of times — leading up to the announcement. Traditionally, rural and northern communities in B.C. have had a challenge in accessing health care.

To- day I understand that the Ministers of Health Services and Health Planning participated in a demonstration of a telemedicine project that connected the Vancouver General Hospital and all its resources with the Cran- brook Regional Hospital. I'm wondering if the Minister of Health Services could tell my constituents just how this project will help them. Hon. C. Hansen: It was a very exciting demonstra- tion.

For the first time in British Columbia history, we were able to connect through technology some of the top specialists in British Columbia, based at Vancouver Hospital, with front-line physicians and nurses in Cranbrook and in Terrace, which are the two sites for the new pilot projects. What this means for communi- ties throughout British Columbia is that the time is coming very soon when they will be able to link to- gether so that health care providers can get that top- level tertiary support that's necessary.

It is very much a step in delivering the kind of health care that British Columbians need, where they live and when they need it. We're committed to it. It looks like it's going to be a fabulous project, and once the pilots are finished, we hope to be able to roll this out to other communities in British Columbia. [End of question period.] Point of Order J. Kwan: On a point of order. A sessional order was introduced by the government. It states that a private member may ask a qualified question of a minister during question period.

The member from whose con- stituency the question comes will have first refusal to put such question to the appropriate minister. There is on the order paper a public written question from Mi- chelle Kinney of the University of Victoria Students Society which I believe is timely. The member for Oak Bay–Gordon Head has not asked that question of the minister today. Could you please advise this House which constitutes first refusal, and would the member's decision not to rise and ask the question put by her constituents today meet the test of first refusal? Mr.

Speaker: On the point of order, the Govern- ment House Leader. [1435] Hon. G. Collins: On the point of order, it's my un- derstanding that the provision is there, as it was last session. I don't believe the wording has changed. Interjection.

1310 B RITISH COLUMBIA DEBATES M ONDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 2002 Hon. G. Collins: Well, I'm not aware of a big change. Certainly, my understanding of the intent of the standing order change was that once the question is on the order paper, the member whose riding it is has the first opportunity to ask that question on the first day it appears. If they choose not to or they're unable to, then it is available to other members to ask the ques- tion. That's been my understanding, and I don't think that's changed at all. Mr. Speaker: Thank you, both hon. members.

We have not set a specific time for first refusal, but we'll take it under advisement and come back to the House with the decision. In any event, the questions must be asked during question period. Orders of the Day Hon. G. Collins: I call budget debate. Budget Debate (continued) Hon. S. Hagen: It's a pleasure today to reply to and support the budget. In all my years of public life, I can safely say that I have never seen a more substantive and decisive opening to a legislative session as we have seen these past two weeks. We have a huge challenge in front of us, and our agenda is ambitious.

We were elected to turn this province around, and I believe strongly that the Speech from the Throne set out a clear map and that the budget is the right vehicle to get us started on the road to recovery. Make no mistake: these changes constitute a fun- damental challenge to the status quo British Columbi- ans rejected last May. We recognize that change is never easy. As the Premier points out, it sometimes appears more convenient to stay in the broken rut of the status quo and to duck challenges rather than to confront them head-on.

I don't want to deny or mini- mize that the changes will cause short-term adjustment problems for some people. We have made some very difficult decisions, and I know that neither myself nor my colleagues on the government side take these deci- sions and this responsibility lightly. I believe strongly that the core review process was a rigorous, thoughtful means to reducing government cost. Quite simply, action had to be taken. The current level of government spending is simply not sustain- able. We cannot run a Cadillac government on a Chev- rolet economy any longer.

Of course, there are those who say we should wait — wait because of the tragic events of September 11, wait because of the softwood lumber dispute with the U.S., wait because of global economic slowdown. I can tell you that in my riding of Comox Valley, which is still the most beautiful riding in this province, my con- stituents can't afford to wait. The small businesses in the Comox Valley can't afford to wait for our govern- ment to restore sound fiscal management to this prov- ince.

The patients and students of the Comox Valley can't afford to wait for our health care and education systems to put their needs first. British Columbians gave us an overwhelming mandate for change last spring, and we are delivering on that mandate to usher in a new era of hope, prosperity and public service for this great province. The course of action is clear, and the time to act is now. When you look at the facts, you can see clearly why, with this budget, we are continuing the path of change. Over the last decade British Columbia slid to last place in Canada in both investment and economics.

Over the last decade B.C.'s average annual take-home pay shrunk by over $1,100, while incomes in Alberta and Ontario grew. We had the devastating fact that British Columbia actually became a have-not province. We are tackling these challenges head-on. [1440] [H. Long in the chair.] Our Premier, the Finance minister and indeed the entire government are convinced that we are laying the foundation for an improved future with this budget. Along with this budget, our government has re- leased the most comprehensive set of service plans that state clearly our plans over the next three years.

Fun- damental in these plans are the recognitions that eco- nomic growth is the bedrock upon which all public services depend. The state of our economy is the criti- cal determinant for what government can and cannot afford to do. We can't control commodity prices, the U.S. lumber lobby or the global reverberations of Sep- tember 11, but we can and we must take steps to make our economy more competitive, diversified and attrac- tive to investors. We've already made significant pro- gress to achieving this goal.

In our first 90 days our government cut personal income taxes, reduced corporate income taxes and eliminated other business taxes that were discouraging job creation. We also acted to reduce the regulatory burden on small businesses and create a level playing field for all British Columbia businesses through the elimination of business subsidies. As a result of these changes, we are starting to see encouraging signs that our economy is on the mend. For example, last year British Columbia posted Can- ada's largest increase in housing sales.

British Colum- bia had the highest percentage increase in residential construction in the nation. Retail sales have been in- creasing at a faster rate than the national average, and automobile sales have been strong. As a small business person, I am pleased that our government is working in partnership with British Columbia entrepreneurs to jumpstart investment and opportunities for our communities around the prov- ince.

Later this spring the Premier will lead a series of round tables on small business that will invite small business owners, operators and entrepreneurs to offer their input and advice in the most vital of all sectors. Small businesses are by far the biggest job creators in

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 2002 B RITISH COLUMBIA DEBATES 1311 our economy, and this government wants to hear from them directly on the barriers to expansion and the op- portunities for growth. We need to work with them, and we need to pursue innovative ways to deliver ser- vices and create new opportunities for employment and investment. We will be looking at new, cost-effective mecha- nisms for the provision of services and public-private partnerships. These P3s, as they're called, have proven very effective in attracting private capital to support public policy objectives in B.C. and in other jurisdic- tions.

We will move forward to help spur other private sector investment in transportation and highways; in- formation technology; housing, land and resource de- velopment; health support services and facilities; and educational infrastructure. Measures will be introduced this session to boost investment and job creation in both the energy and the mining sectors. Steps will be taken to enhance the effec- tiveness of the Oil and Gas Commission and to im- prove the investment climate for mineral exploration.

Within my own ministerial responsibilities in the coming session I will be introducing an updated Envi- ronmental Assessment Act to streamline the major pro- ject assessment process while maintaining our high environmental standards. Other changes will be made to increase competitiveness, cut red tape and provide greater access to Crown land and resources. Many of us on Vancouver Island are excited about the prospects of new investment in coalbed methane extraction. More will be done in the coming months to develop this resource and generate jobs in regions across our province.

And, of course, there's tremen- dous interest in the northwest about the prospect for offshore oil and gas exploration. While there's significant economic potential for the region, we will proceed with caution to ensure that any activity taken in this regard will always be guided by sound science and an unswerving commitment to re- sponsible environmental protection. We'll be taking a progressive approach to promote growth in our tradi- tional resource sectors and emerging industries such as salmon aquaculture.

Recent changes will ensure that this sector can grow sustainably with the toughest en- vironmental protection framework in the world. My own ministry is engaged in a planning and mapping exercise to identify suitable areas for relocat- ing salmon farms. This is part of a comprehensive plan to minimize the environmental and social impact of fish farms and support local coastal communities and their economies.

In terms of agriculture, I will be introducing legisla- tion this spring to implement our new-era commitment to make the Agricultural Land Commission more re- gionally responsive to the needs of farmers and com- munities. [1445] In all of these reforms, we will be guided by the principles of sustainability to ensure that we balance economic and environmental concerns. The Premier has directed all ministers to maintain the highest stan- dards of environmental quality. I can assure all mem- b e r s o f t h i s H o u s e t h a t w e t a k e t h a t o b l i g a t i o n v e r y seriously.

This budget reflects these priorities, and the Finance minister deserves high praise for making this a reality. We are making these changes because every house- hold in the province knows that you can't live beyond y o u r m e a n s . W h i l e w e g e t o u r s p e n d i n g i n o r d e r , w e must also be cognizant of the need to improve British Columbia's competitiveness. Over the past decade tens of thousands of British Columbians left the province to find jobs in other areas of Canada. We will reverse that course, and we will reverse it by making British Co- lumbia attractive to investors once again.

Here's what we're doing. We've cut the corporate income tax rate from 16.5 percent to 13.5 percent. We've eliminated the provincial sales tax on produc- tion machinery and equipment. By September of this year we will have eliminated the regressive corporate capital tax. We're introducing a new 20 percent flow- through credit for mineral exploration. With this budget we've raised the small business income tax threshold by 50 percent to $300,000. To protect low-income British Columbians, we've increased the tax credits by 50 percent. We have also increased disability-related tax credits.

In total, we have made 13 tax cuts since last July. It's simply irresponsible to put off tough changes that must be made to bring spending into line with revenues. When we target our resources to key priori- ties, we need to make sure those dollars are going to people, not bureaucracies. There is a consensus across the country that our health care system is unsustainable. Our population has grown older, and life expectancy has increased. The costs of drugs, equipment, doctors' fees and health workers' wages and benefits have all grown exponen- tially.

We simply cannot keep up with these funding demands while decreasing taxes and balancing the budget at the same time. We will be undertaking major structural reforms in health care that will challenge us all to accept short- term pain for long-term improvements in health care. Some of these changes are already underway, such as restructuring regional health governance and delivery and giving health authorities new tools to find savings and efficiencies. We'll be moving forward with a com- prehensive nursing strategy and increasing the number of medical school graduates.

Health care is not just about doctors, nurses and hospital beds. The health of our environment is directly linked to the health of our population. That's why I'm pleased that the throne speech and the budget reaf- firmed our commitment to new legislation to strengthen drinking water and groundwater protec- tion. We will be allocating more resources to the moni- toring of drinking water quality. We are also taking steps to ensure that our post- secondary institutions are more responsive and ac- countable to students. Just as students learn differently

1312 B RITISH COLUMBIA DEBATES M ONDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 2002 and have unique needs and aspirations, our universi- ties and colleges should be adaptable and flexible to ensure that these needs are met. As a former Minister of Advanced Education, I take a particular interest in this area. I have every confidence that Minister Bond will ensure that the changes we are implementing will make British Columbia a leader in post-secondary edu- cation over the coming years. I ' v e b e e n a r o u n d l o n g e n o u g h t o k n o w t h a t t h e tough times don't last, but tough people do.

There's no question we are going through challenging times, com- ing off a decade of lost opportunities and abysmal gov- ernments, but we already see encouraging signs of re- covery. Our government's agenda as laid out in the budget will build on that momentum. We have a glorious history in this province. We honour and cherish our past, but some would have us stay there forever. To them I say that British Columbi- ans can and must move forward. This government has a vision for the future that will take us through today's challenges and help us grasp tomorrow's opportuni- ties.

By remaining true to our principles and being steadfast in our resolve, we will help build a better future for this province. [1450] Hon. J. Reid: I am honoured today to rise to reply to the budget speech. I have to start by talking about my constituency, because today was such a glorious morning as we were coming in — the sun was shining; the sky was absolutely crystal-clear blue — and I thought about my constituency and all that I was miss- ing at home. Nanaimo-Parksville is my constituency. I'm going to start with Parksville and work my way down the Island. Today in Parksville the tide would have been out.

The tides are now lower in the middle of the day. That glistening sand would have been there for all to see. The sea birds would have been circling. It's just about time for the herring to spawn. The eagles would be collecting in groups, as they do this time of year. It's a time when the sea life is rich and bustling and the community is vibrant with the new life that spring brings. In this budget speech that I am replying to today, I have to think about my community. That scene that is so clear in Parksville is there in Nanoose Bay and in Lantzville and on into Nanaimo. This whole area is built around that life.

The life that once was dependent on the resource communities, the life that was com- posed so much of the forestry and fishing activities, has changed. It's changed over the years. While this is an excellent family area and an excellent place to retire, the economy has had to go through difficult times in that area. I'm proud to say that it has adapted very, very well to the challenges that it's faced. Nanaimo has expanded northwards with its boundary and its commercial activity, which has put increasing pressures on Lantzville to make decisions about their future.

The popularity of Nanoose, well renowned for its golf courses and for its seascape, is also continuing to grow, as well as the community of Parksville. It's become more oriented toward tourism, but the amount of high-tech in this region is actually very sur- prising. Quiet businesses are hidden in the back- ground, but are there nonetheless. While we've moved and changed, at the same time there is a large number of small businesses that have grown up in this area and have become very much the foundation of the economy, working quietly in the background but very significant nonetheless.

When I was running in the last election and com- municating with people, they were talking to me about their problems. I believe this budget that has been pre- sented is a reflection of the concerns that people brought to my attention at that time. The concerns were that this is a difficult time that we're in. The econ- omy is struggling in these changes. In the past we've seen a significant decrease in business activity. Busi- nesses have been fleeing the province instead of com- ing to the province.

We're very much in need of new activity in the area, new activity to come in — whether it be the movie industry, whether it be all sorts of small industries or more high-tech. There needs to be those opportunities for those businesses. In Nanaimo we have Malaspina University College, an excellent institution that provides a good education and good opportunities for young people, but the jobs haven't been there. Jobs for young people has been a very, very serious concern.

While we're glad for the tourism — because we have such an incredibly beauti- ful area, there are opportunities there — we want a greater depth of business that takes place. In this budget speech the government has outlined that it has a vision and a plan. That's absolutely essen- tial to move us ahead. We've outlined a three-year plan, so it's not a matter of taking it one day at a time. It's not a matter of trying to invent new ideas. We've been consistent with our approach to the economic realities that face us in this province. [1455] There are a number of roles for government.

One of those roles is to handle the finances for the collective group of people — t h i s p r o v i n c e . W e h a v e t o m a k e sure that money is available for the services that this collective group of people say they want and say are their priorities. But what happens — as s hould be ob- vious, but sometimes we forget — is that a new gov- ernment comes in and inherits everything that the pre- vious government did.

It might be like someone who buys a new house and, upon moving in, finds that they take over all the debts, all the bills, all the correspon- dence, all the day-to-day functions of the previous residents. That produces a significant challenge for government. We have a desire — and I believe it's a desire all people share — that we are able to live within our means with a vibrant economy and with a protected environment that will allow us to provide the social programs we deem important as a province. I believe this budget that was presented allows us to get to that

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 2002 B RITISH COLUMBIA DEBATES 1313 point and shows everybody exactly what plan we're using to get there. I had an interesting conversation with my mother- in-law recently, who was asking me about some of the changes, as people do: "Why are you doing this, and how are you doing that?" I reminded her of a number of years ago, when she was raising her family and they were being supported through the commercial fishing industry. There were some good seasons, and there were bad seasons.

I reminded her that sometimes, when the fishing seasons were not so good, she could- n't provide her family with all the things that maybe the children had the year before, especially when going back to school. I asked her whether she thought she was a bad parent because she had to live within her means and whether the children understood that. She said she felt she was doing the right thing, but, no, the children didn't always understand why that had to take place, and, yes, that was difficult. I said that that's exactly what we're trying to do here.

These choices we're making aren't easy choices; they are difficult choices. We're tryi ng to do them as carefully as pos si- ble with as much care as possible, but that doesn't change that they are difficult choices we have to make. This province has had the most generous social programs, with the worst-performing economy, for the last ten years. Unfortunately, the economy has not picked up; and predictably, it hasn't picked up.

So we find ourselves in a situation where, while people are becoming more and more accustomed to receiving cer- tain benefits, the government no longer has the means to be able to provide all the benefits that were previ- ously received. People are understandably upset about this and understandably wonder why they're not re- ceiving something they had before. It's important for people to realize that there's this larger picture of the economy that we're trying to ad- dress and that this budget does address. It's a fairly simple, straightforward concept. Businesses are in an area, and businesses employ people.

From that, busi- nesses pay taxes, and the people who work for a busi- ness pay taxes. The money that's collected goes into the government, and the government spends it on behalf of the people, providing services back to the people and employing people through government in order to deliver those services. If the businesses go away, the jobs go away, the taxes go away, and we have a gov- ernment with more people employed and not enough money to pay the bills. Again, we also have a govern- ment that inherits the previous government's plans and positions and spending. We have two sides to this ledger.

How do we get to a balanced position? How do we get to a position where we can say with confidence, as a government, that we are delivering the best for the people of British Columbia? We have to look at the spending side, and we have to look at the income side. The budget speech made this, I believe, perfectly clear. We have to look at why businesses left this province. I think we've spent a lot of time talking about, in the last number of years, why businesses have left this province — why we weren't competitive with other jurisdictions around us.

We had to come up to a level where we could compete with other jurisdictions. When we have investment back in this province, we'll also be increasing the in- come that will provide the money we need for educa- tion, for health care and for the other services that gov- ernment provides. [1500] On the other side, we have to look at our spending and how we match our spending with our income. Those, again, are very, very difficult decisions we've had to make. We're trying to attract business. We're trying to build up the economic foundation.

I'm going to use the analogy that was used in the budget speech, and that's the foundation of a house. The previous g o v e r n m e n t h a d t h i s h o u s e . M e a n w h i l e , t h e y w e r e whittling away at the foundation, which is the busi- nesses that employ the people and pay the taxes. That was the foundation. As long as they were whittling away at that foundation, it imperilled the rest of the house that was built on top of it. We have to address that problem. We don't have a choice but to address that problem and rebuild that foundation.

We've done that by lowering income taxes and by making our tax structure more competitive. This is rebuilding the foundation from the bottom up so that we can have a strong house that sits on top. On the other side, in reducing spending…. Again, I ' v e h e a r d f r o m s o m a n y p e o p l e t h a t t h e y ' r e s o c o n - cerned when they see their tax dollars wasted. It's hard enough when they have to give away their hard-earned dollars — the difficulty of earning a living and the hard work that goes into that.

When they give up their tax dollars, they want to make sure that those tax dollars aren't spent in frivolous ways and that those tax dollars are extended as far as possible to get the very best re- sult possible, never forgetting the effort and sacrifice that went into raising those dollars in the first place, that went into making that income — holding down that job while raising a family. In my constituency, because it's an area where there's a large percentage of retired people, one of the areas that's very important is health care.

This budget speech is a reminder to people that the cost of health c are i s s h are d b y al l o f t he p e o p l e . W e d o hav e ri s i ng he al t h c are c o s t s . W e s ai d t ha t we ne e d t o p ay nu rs e s more because they're in such high demand, not only across this continent but around the world, and that we have to attract and keep nurses. Somebody has to pay that increased cost. There's an increase in cost. We say that doctors are valuable. They're very mo- bile. Doctors can leave for many different jurisdictions. We have exceedingly well trained doctors in B.C.

When they're frustrated, when they don't believe they're compensated fairly, they threaten to leave. The people have said to us: "We've got to maintain our health care s y s t e m . " S o w e h a v e t o l o o k a t h o w w e c o m p e n s a t e doctors. When those costs for doctors rise, where does the money come from? It's a serious problem. We have doctors, nurses and many other exceedingly well trained health care professionals in B.C.

1314 B RITISH COLUMBIA DEBATES M ONDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 2002 W e h a v e t o m a k e s o m e c h o i c e s . W e ' v e m a d e choices about how health care is administered, so that people can't come to us and say: "You're wasting dol- lars on administration." We've said that we're going to put patients first, and we put patients first by not have dollars wasted on administration, but by targeting every dollar that we can directly on patient services. That's a choice that we've had to make in order to ex- tend the dollars available for health care.

People are constantly contacting my office — and, I'm sure, everyone else's office — about Pharmacare benefits and wondering when one medicine or another medicine will be added to the Pharmacare list. It's again important to remember that every time there is an increase in Pharmacare benefits, the money has to come from somewhere, and there's no new money. [1505] It would be unfair to suggest to people in any less t h a n a n h o n e s t w a y t h a t w e a r e n ' t i n v e r y d i f f i c u l t times with a very, very serious deficit facing us. This is not something that we would wish upon ourselves.

Indeed, governments have to adapt to the circum- stances they find themselves in. While as government there's no use complaining about circumstances, we still have to deal with them. We didn't anticipate what was going to happen in the technology industry and stocks and marketplace last summer. No one could have predicted the terrible events of September 11 or how they continue right now to work their way through our economy. Those were a surprise to us and to everyone else.

The softwood lumber dispute continues to go on, and it puts us under difficulties as a province that has been so tied into the forest industry and the forestry sector. While resolution isn't anywhere close, we have to deal with that. We're not going to complain about these circum- stances ― this is life ― but as government we're ex- pected by the people of this province to react to these circumstances and to deal with them in as sustainable a way as possible.

We're being honest with the people of British Columbia and saying: "These are some tough times, these are difficult circumstances, and we are reacting to them." We've been honest in this budget. We've been hon- est in looking at it being a realistic budget. We're not trying to hide the bad news from people; we're not trying to give them nice, pleasant answers. We have a three-year plan that we believe is going to help give them the stability they need to make decisions. We can't keep promising people anything they want. We've been clear; we've been honest. We're trying to build up the economy.

At the same time, we are trying to contain the costs of government. In this consistent approach, there will be people who are impacted, and there will be people who have been frustrated by the changes that we have intro- duced. We hope that people will understand that we're doing this to work together with everyone. We believe that everyone in this province does have the same goals in mind. Those goals are a fiscally sound prov- ince, an energetic province, able to compete with the very best in the world — n o t j u s t i n O l y m p i c s o r i n sports but in every other way. [Mr.

Speaker in the chair.] We do have a vision, and we do have a plan, and it's not going to be easy. We are willing to make the tough decisions, and we're also willing to look at inno- vative solutions to the problems that we find ourselves in. Part of this is to examine different options open to government, such as public-private partnerships. How can we get important infrastructure still progressing in this province at a time when government, quite hon- estly, doesn't have the dollars to put into those invest- ments?

How can we work with the private sector to attract those investment dollars to increase our eco- nomic activity? We're exploring those options, and we'll continue to work in different ministries to seek out solutions to those problems. In my role, I've had communities coming to me and asking me to look at this, because they'd like the pro- jects to go ahead sooner rather than later. I'm being very honest with them and sincere that we will look at these. I don't know what the answers are yet, but we are exploring different options to try to solve these problems.

It's very important for all of us to keep in mind that we're working together to try to find solutions. It al- ways distresses me when people think there are some- how differences in this province that will result in dif- f e r e n t o u t c o m e s . I b e l i e v e t h a t w e r e a l l y d o h a v e t h e same goals in mind. We do have to listen to each other, look at where people have been impacted, try to miti- gate those impacts as much as possible, and support people and work with the communities and with new ideas that come along.

We can build up this province so that we will have jobs for our young people. Com- munities like mine and Nanaimo, Parksville, Lantzville and Nanoose will see the increase in economic activity. They will see the jobs for their children, and they will see that all opportunities that B.C. has will be there awaiting them. In conclusion, I'd like to say that I support this budget speech. I believe that this budget is hard news for British Columbia — but good news. [1510] H. Long: Mr. Speaker, I'm privileged and proud to rise today and speak to the budget speech as well as the throne speech — together.

Most of the members know where Powell River– Sunshine Coast is. Just to bring them up to speed on exactly where it is, it starts at Port Mellon on the Sun- shine Coast and goes all the way up to Namu on the whole west side of the mainland of British Columbia, just below the North Coast. It's hugely dependent on the forest industry. We have two pulp and paper mills in the region which are the major employers for Sechelt and the Sunshine Coast as well as Powell River.

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 2002 B RITISH COLUMBIA DEBATES 1315 First, Mr. Speaker, I want to congratulate both the Premier and the Minister of Finance on the budget that came down from Finance and also the Speech from the Throne for the Premier. In both instances, they're work- ing hand in hand for British Columbia to bring a better life to all those people in my riding and throughout the province. I know that in my riding, I've had some people ask me questions about the budget and the throne speech and exactly how that was going to impact on them.

I think there are a lot of people out there who are mis- guided by some information that has not been correct. They're mimicking it. I find that a lot of the people I've talked to — after I spoke with them and they under- stood exactly what we were trying to accomplish and the time period and what we were left with — under- stand better. I can take, for instance, the teachers. During the reign of the NDP in this province, I think they got zero- zero-and-2, if I'm not mistaken, on their raises.

With this government, sure, we had to put them back to work and call it an essential service, but they got 2½ over three years, which I think is incredible. As well as that, I feel they got a certain amount of job security that the private sector today does not have. I think the pro- fessional teachers understand, and most teachers are professionals. I've got to hand that to them — that most of the ones I talk to are professional and want to teach the children. They feel they have a pretty good deal going for them under the circumstances of the econ- omy today.

I a l s o k n o w t h a t s o m e o f t h e p e o p l e i n m y r i d i n g are concerned with health care. There's been a misrep- resentation of how much money was in health care. They're saying that health care funding was cut, and we know that not to be truth. A billion dollars more in one year into health care is not cutting health care. That's adding to health care. We have to find new ways to spend that money within the health care system for the patients, to make sure the patients get care.

I want to say to the people in Powell River specifi- cally and Sechelt as well, who have hospitals, that it's incumbent that we find new ways through the regions to deliver those services to the people. We have given a mandate to the regions to come up with new and cost- s a v i n g w a y s t o d e l i v e r t h a t s e r v i c e . W e h a v e t o w a i t and work with them and with the communities and with the hospitals to make sure that when we deliver these health care services, we really give a good service to all those people in our ridings. I come from small business.

There's another mis- conception out there: that small business and business somehow are in conflict with labour. That's a fallacy. In our company we have over 100 union members. Our company could not operate without them. We depend on them. They're our ambassadors. We work with them; they work with us. They have a good living, and I hope that we can run our company properly so we can make a profit and reinvest in what we do in the transportation business. It's not a battle between labour and companies and business; it's a cooperation be- tween the two.

It kind of upsets me to see some of the public sector unions trying to drive a wedge between unions and people in business, when it's absolutely imperative that we work together. [Applause.] Just a little reprieve here. [1515] I've got to bring another thing up. In Sechelt, for instance, we have more than the B.C. average of sen- iors. In Sechelt 21 percent of the people are seniors — with a B.C. average, my understanding is, of 12 per- cent. That's huge. They have a concern. They want to m a k e s u r e t h i n g s a r e h a p p e n i n g .

T h e y w a n t t o m a k e sure they're looked after and they're thought of. I know that they, through our budgets and so on, have taken a bit of a hit, too, but a lot of those seniors are taking it with pride. They know they are part of the solution. They know they're going to be part of the solution in the long run, and therefore they accept that and they work with us. I'm proud to represent those people. They have one of the biggest clubs for seniors on the Sunshine Coast. They have their own buildings. They have their own auditorium.

They have many, many functions for sen- iors there, and I commend them on what they do for the people on the Sunshine Coast. When we get down to cutting red tape for busi- ness…. That's probably one of the more basic ones that I'm familiar with. When we start cutting red tape, we're saying to small business and businesses: "Come on in. It's past the era where we're going tax you out of this province. It's past the time where we're going to say that we're going to give you the right and a proper tax structure so you can flourish in this province." When I say that, I go back and think about other people.

I mean the real small businesses in my com- munity, the ones that actually create the bulk of the jobs throughout my whole riding and probably throughout British Columbia. A lot of those small peo- ple and small companies — they employ one, two, three and anywhere up to ten people — actually put their money up front. They have nothing to fall back on except their business and how they perform their busi- ness. They can't get unemployment insurance like a lot of the other people working for them. They really take those risks.

I've got to commend those that put their money up and create jobs for people in the future, and I think it's incumbent upon our government to make sure we're there for them and that we create the climate so they can flourish in the future. It's funny. I have people talk to me about the Fi- nance minister and about the budget and some of the cuts. I see the signs up. I saw them out here on the lawns on the weekend, saying the cuts go too deep. First they're admitting there have to be cuts.

The sec- ond thing they're saying is: "Well, they're too deep." They don't have the knowledge, which we have in this House and the Finance minister has, of how deep we really have to cut to make this province flourish in the future. Only the government knows at this time. We've

1316 B RITISH COLUMBIA DEBATES M ONDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 2002 tried to tell the people and the unions how deep we have to cut, but some of them don't believe us. I know personally…. I'll go back in my history. I was running my company. I got into a situation where we seemed to be having some financial difficulty, so I hired a good accountant. Do you think I wanted to believe that accountant? There was just no way, in my business, that I wanted to believe we had the kind of trouble we had in our company. It took a lot of talking on his behalf and a lot of proving to me that I was wrong.

I had to clean up the way I was running my business and how I was operating. That's what we're saying today. The Finance minis- ter is saying to this province that after ten years of ne- glect by the NDP, this is what we're putting up with, and I commend him on taking the stand for the future of British Columbia. [1520] I mean, there are so many things within this budget and within this throne speech that are important to people. I think we came under criticism for lowering the taxes to all the people of British Columbia. Well, those are the funds that go back into the economy.

They say: "We don't see any results yet." The results are there. We've had a downturn in our economy — it's worldwide; we're almost in a world recessional time right now — but things will get better. They will spend their money. We will create the jobs in this province after the budget and they come to fruition. Mr. Speaker, I think it's important that we all pull together. I think it's time that labour, business and gov- ernment really put a concerted effort into pulling to- gether to make sure that this province works, because we're all in the same boat. We're all in the same prov- ince.

It's the greatest province in Canada, and I think it's worth really working for in the future. I have a letter here that was not written by me and not even a party member or anyone else. Opposition leaders have a tendency to read letters out within this House. It quite clearly lays out to the people of Powell River in a letter to the editor just exactly what they feel out there — a lot of supporters. It says: "Short-term pain for long-term gain." It goes into great detail. It says to let us not forget the huge debt that came down upon us. The fudge-it budget was one they referred to here.

Then they go on to say that the previous NDP government probably would not have been elected in the election previous to this one if they had not lied to the people of British Columbia. They had to virtually lie to make the government of British Columbia. It does go on to draw a lot of conclusions to many things that the NDP have done in the past, so I don't feel too bad when I stand up and defend the throne speech and also defend the budget here today. I think these private-public partnership, P3s, that we're going into are going to be a fact of life.

I hear people say that we're going to have to, possibly, have tolls on our highway. Well, we live in one part of the country that's 100 percent dependent on B.C. Ferries. I think they call it a toll. I think we pay a big toll to live in our part of the country, and that may be expensive for us, but if people came and saw the kind of beauty we live in, it's worth it. I just hope that in the coming months, the B.C. Fer- ries, when they raise their tolls, remember that this is very important to the people — how much we pay.

In fact, I want to put on the record today for my constitu- ents that they already pay above the average on B.C. ferries, both on their discounts — for what they get for their pre-bought tickets — and for the lift-off charge and the mileage. They pay a little more than most places. I hope they take that into consideration, when the rates go up shortly — that they do not move as high on the ones…until they get it up to the average for all the fleet. This budget is good for British Columbia. It's good for the people of the province. I think that once the unions and the NDP, who are one and the same ….

I'm talking about the public sector unions and the NDP; they come from the same house of cards. Once we do, though, put down the gauntlet and start working to- gether…. There's going to be tough times. Sure, we're going to have to make some cuts. Sure, there's a tough budget ahead of us. But you know, in the end, this province will rise up, it will carry on, and it will be the best and strongest province in Canada again.

I believe that will happen with the direction of this Premier and the ministries that we have on that side — I think we've got a lot of strong, good people working for it — as well as the whole back bench. [1525] I think the last thing I want to say is that a lot of peo- ple in this province or even in my riding have pointed a finger at all these MLAs, the 77 MLAs which are Liberal, and said: "They don't have heart. Look at what they're doing." Well, if you take all the MLAs from the Liberal side, they do have a heart. They have families. They have concerns, just like everyone else in the province.

For one sector of the province out there to yell and scream that other people don't have a heart…. They are the ones that have to do the hard stuff. They are the ones who are elected to sit in this House and make decisions that a lot of those people could not make. They asked us to make the decisions, and we have to make those decisions for them and for us. As hard as it may be, Mr. Speaker, this budget is necessary; this throne speech is necessary. We must carry on, be strong and show the province that it will work. Hon. G. Bruce: It's a pleasure indeed for me to rise today and speak on this budget.

Indeed, it's a pleasure to be able to follow my colleague, the member for Powell River–Sunshine Coast. He and I spent time in this House 12 years ago, ten years ago, 11 years ago…. It was a long time ago. I t 's ni c e t o b e ab l e t o b e b ac k he re an d , m o r e t ha n that, to be able to talk about a budget that really is go- ing to help turn the province of British Columbia around after ten dark, dismal years of incompetence — probably the worst government that we've ever seen in the country of Canada, never mind in the province of British Columbia. Indeed, it's nice to be able to take

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 2002 B RITISH COLUMBIA DEBATES 1317

part in the debate of a budget that has a plan to it and a process that will allow us to get out of the difficulty that we currently are faced with after what the previ- ous NDP government has done. Before I actually get into the budget itself and the different items that I'd like to comment on, I'd like to speak a little bit about the actual development of this budget. This is a first — how this budget has been de- veloped here in the province of British Columbia. In fact, it speaks to the whole new era of government in British Columbia.

The Premier of this province talked many years ago — I think it was just after the 1996 election — of his vision and view for how this Legislature ought to run and ought to operate, the notion of true free votes in the House and the matter of how you should have the debate take place in this House. In fact, we saw that first free vote here not too long ago on a very important piece of legislation. It wasn't frivolous. All members were given the opportunity to vote their conscience, and they did. We had one of our members that voted against that legislation.

We also had another member that voted against two sections of that legislation. I t ' s i m p o r t a n t t o n o t e t h a t wh e n w e h a v e 7 7 o f 7 9 members in this House, there will be free and unfet- tered debate. It's a testament to the Premier of this province. Often you've heard leaders in the past talk about the need for changes in the Legislative Assembly and how debate ought to take place, but as they get closer to assuming power and as they get closer to tak- ing over the leadership and the Premiership of the province, they tend to wane from it. Our Premier did not do that.

In fact, he's encour- aged that. Here, not too long ago as I mentioned, we had that first true free vote as a government in the House here in the province of British Columbia. Following as part of that, we've had this whole building of the budget where we've employed the Treasury Board process of the past, the normal way, but what's different about that is that we have private members on Treasury Board. It's never been the case before. We have private members that are bringing their views and their ideas to Treasury Board as the budget process is being developed.

We have the government caucus committees that have taken a very active and detailed role in the devel- opment not only of the budget but of service plans and the impact that they have on the building of legislation and the building of economic strategy. This is a first. This is a first in the Legislatures and the House of Commons here in Canada. It perhaps isn't a first as it relates to parliaments around the world because the mother parliament in Westminster made this change many years ago where they introduced free votes to the House back in the early seventies.

In that first instance, every time there was a private member of the government side that voted against the govern- ment, there was a great to-do.

But after two or three or four or half a dozen times of that happening, it became the notion that that's what will happen within the House, and there will be those that will vote against certain things. [1530] With that and with the steps we've taken in regards to the budget-building process that has been developed here and the inclusion of private members in that, I think we now lead the Commonwealth in the new way, the new era, of how the Legislative Assembly ought to operate and the fact that…. [Applause.] Yes, it's his- toric. That's been an important part. Now the budget itself.

No sooner had we intro- duced the budget than the stats came out that there were 27,000 new jobs created here in the province. We're leading Canada in the development of those jobs. That's not as a result of the budget coming out, but it's a result of changes that are happening here through the last eight months of this province with the new government in place and a new feeling of confi- dence, I believe, by the population — with the under- standing that there are some very difficult and tough decisions that have to be made. There is a bitter pill to be swallowed after ten years of neglect.

However, I believe that in spite of some of the rhetoric we hear, the people of British Columbia have truly elected us to do those difficult things, and we must not waver. It's ironic that what you hear on the streets and in the different demonstrations that take place…. The very people that were part of the process of the gov- ernment of the last ten years, the NDP government, are now the ones again speaking out and trying to dis- suade us from doing the things that need to be done. Have they offered new and creative solutions?

No, they've just offered that we should carry on in the way they did business and ran government in British Co- lumbia. They haven't offered any new ideas. It's just: "Stop, stop, stop." The fact of the matter is that we don't have that latitude, and the people of British Columbia understood that in the last election. They clearly dem- onstrated that with the result that was shown here in the House, with 77 to two. They wanted a change.

When there are as many of us as there are — 77 of the 79 members — we must be careful that we consider what we are undertaking carefully, and that we listen to our constituents and understand what they are say- ing to us but don't back off from the purpose of what needs to be done. It's important, too, that where we make a mistake — and we will make a mistake — we change those mistakes, as the Minister of Finance brought in with his budget in respect to the bus passes for the people in the areas that have transit service, to make sure they're available. It's important that we take the second look at things.

That's not pulling away, and that's not wavering from the things that need to be done. That's just taking a good second look. When there are 77 of us in this House, it's all the more impor- tant that we do take that second look. I believe things are turning — as I say, the 27,000 jobs, and housing starts are up in the province. We have a long way to go, Mr. Speaker. Very clearly we do. But I believe that with the introduction of this budget, we are laying a plan and a path that shows,

1318 B RITISH COLUMBIA DEBATES M ONDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 2002 between this year and over the next three, that we will get to that end result where this province will once again be a leader in Canada and will not be a have-not province. How shameful it was to find that, in fact, this province with all its resources, with all its wealth, with all its beauty and the very fine people we have who live here in British Columbia, would be considered a have-not province. After ten years of clearly the most reprehensible government we've ever seen in Canada, they managed to bring us down to be a have-not prov- ince.

There's work to be done. When you look at the fact that this budget brings with it a $4.4 billion deficit — not an easy thing to say — it's a difficult challenge for all of us. As we've gone through the process of build- ing this budget in an attempt to change the direction of government and to get our costs under control, we're still faced with a $4.4 billion deficit.

Even worse is the fact that over the three years, this will end up being a $40 billion debt that we have to pay for — a $40 billion total debt in the province of British Columbia. [1535] It took 50 years to get to $17 billion, and it took ten years to get from $17 billion — ten years with the for- mer government — to $36.5 billion worth of debt. Now the task for all of us is to turn that around and, as this budget lays out, to get us back along the path to a bal- anced budget by 2004-05.

What I think is particularly encouraging in the budget is the strong emphasis on small business, and many have spoken in the House here today about that and how important small business is to us. We've heard from many governments across Canada in a va- riety of jurisdictions and parties, whether they be fed- eral or provincial. All speak and talk glowingly about the importance of small business.

You know, if you're in small business, as I am — and my hon. colleague is also in small business — it was almost a death sentence as soon as you heard poli- ticians talk about small business because you knew you were going to get clanged. Nobody truly understood the importance of small business, so I'm happy to say, when I look at my colleagues here in this caucus, that we have a great number that not only understand small business but are in fact small business people. It is a huge component of our economy. The great- est employer in the province is small business.

That employing group is really a small business of 50 em- ployees or less. That entrepreneurship that's necessary, that faith in yourself and the people that are working with you to succeed and an ideal of some sort of en- deavour — that you've got the courage and the guts to take your whole family investment and put it into a small business and keep it alive…. You know what happens in small business when things get difficult? You don't have the latitude or the luxury of saying: "Well, I'm going to back out now.

I'm going to close the doors." What you do is go out and find another brother or another sister or another aunt or another uncle who wants to invest with you a little bit more, to try and get you through those difficult times, because you believe. After these past ten years of what we've been through, small business in British Columbia has been thrashed by ten years of neglect, ten years of absolutely rotten government in the province. Now small business in this province has a chance. It has a chance to renew itself. Many are simply hanging on.

They're hanging on by their fingernails in the hopes that we will carry on and do the things we need to do, like increasing the threshold of small business from $200,000 to $300,000. For some who are hanging on, it won't make any dif- ference because the profits aren't there, but for others it will make a big difference. More importantly, it's a message. It's a signal of how important small business is to us and the understanding of what it can mean to our economy.

With what we're intending to do in working through employment standards and the regulatory world of Workers Compensation Board and those types of things, which often, as people build these things who've never been in small business and have no understanding of what another rule or another regulation means to you…. You don't have a human resources department to go and look after all these things, which some of the bigger cor- porations do. The human resources department is you, yourself. You've probably already put ten, 12, 13 hours in.

You've got to put the extra hour or two hours in to look after that human resources concern. They're impor- tant. You can't just leave that. Where it's a rule and a regulation that's foisted upon you — perhaps not well thought out; many times not well thought out — the cost to small business is huge. We, as the Minister of State for Deregulation is doing, are working to reduce that type of regulatory burden on small business to unfetter them, to free them, to let them get on with what it is they do best: the building and development of their business.

Returning that entrepreneurship to the province is huge, because we chased that spirit out of this prov- ince. We chased that ideal of being able to go, and, yes, you can go and you can make a profit — a wonderful world…. You can make a profit. Or, in fact, you can go broke, but that's an opportunity to do one or the other. It isn't done on the backs of the people that work with you. You need those people. They're huge. They are the most important resource assets you have within your small business, and we've built up over these ten years an attitude that it was them against us.

Whoever "them" was and whoever "us" was, it was more that there would be divisions than it was that we would work together. [1540] Small business now has an opportunity to grow. It has an opportunity to blossom here in the province. I look at my own community — four central little com- munities: Lake Cowichan, the city of Duncan, Che- mainus and Ladysmith. I was born and raised there and am proud to be an Islander and proud to be from the Cowichan Valley, but I can tell you, hon. members,

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 2002 B RITISH COLUMBIA DEBATES 1319 never in all of my life have I seen the streets, buildings and small businesses in my communities in the most difficult situation as they've ever been, as it's been these last ten years. They're crying out for help, and they're not standing there with their hands out. They just want us to get out of the way. They want government to get its regulatory regime out of the way so they can get on with doing those things they do best. I look at Lake Cowichan, a great little community up there. It had a shellacking in the forest industry.

The forest sector has taken a huge hit from ten years of a regime of a Forest Practices Code that put an extra bil- lion dollars on the industry in the way of additional costs. Softwood lumber has caused us untold harm in the central area of Vancouver Island, but I can see things starting to flourish in Lake Cowichan. We've got a community there that's been active and strong. We've got a mayor and a municipal council that are there and working hard to rebuild that community and to en- courage the entrepreneurship to come alive again. Duncan.

You know, Duncan for years was the crossroads where the E&N would come through, and a strong agricultural base has now developed a very strong and vibrant wine industry. One day we'll rival that which takes place up in the Okanagan. We have nine wineries that are coming on, and it's a great wine. It's an industry that builds beautifully into the tourist industry on Vancouver Island, which also will build. That's entrepreneurship again.

That's people within the agricultural sector going out and finding those very special, small eco-regions where you can grow grapes and produce what you need so that you can develop a good wine. You take our little community of Chemainus that learned a long time ago how it is you rebuild in the face of adversity. It took the arts and built with the arts a strong and vibrant tourist industry, one that needs to be rejuvenated again. But with that understanding that…. You know, we often talk about tourism.

We say that if we have a tourism industry, then we can't have a mining industry, or we can't have a forestry industry. We can't have heavy industry. But, in fact, we can. What we have within the industry that's here on Van- couver Island is an opportunity to take, again, another asset and develop it into the tourist industry while it's an active heavy industrial sector. Take our little community of Ladysmith, the town of Ladysmith, and the Festival of Lights.

The activity that goes on in the Festival of Lights now brings to that community on the third Thursday, I think it is, of No- vember approximately 15,000 people for the light-up that takes place. It's absolutely phenomenal. Busloads of people are now coming over from Washington State and from the mainland for that event. It packs the town — a huge event. Then again, what you have there is the gutsiness of individuals, of people coming together and building their community and, from that, the de- velopment of small business.

Maple Bay is a little adjunct off to the side, a beauti- ful little enclave of our community. It's got some of the greatest diving that you can find — beach diving, scuba diving — in the world. That great diver, Jacques Cousteau, once wrote about the beauty of diving at Maple Bay. I'm fortunate enough to go diving there. The life that's in that bay…. Even a greater story than that is the little commu- nity of Crofton, my home, where I live. There we have a pulp mill, a paper mill. We have the tugs and the ferries, the ships and the barges that come and go.

You can sit on your sundeck and watch this activity that takes place. It's good British Columbia industry that's taking place. We have a new company that's taken over. NorskeCanada has taken over that pulp and pa- per operation, and I see optimism there. I see invest- ment. I see an understanding of what the pulp and paper industry means to us.

I see the opportunity for expansion in that facility. [1545] But the real story in all of that is during all the years of environmental calamity that was going on, which people were concerned about, the steps that have been taken and the investment that's been had in that par- ticular operation have now greatly restored life to the waters. When you dive in and around the waters of Vesuvius and Stuart Channel, the life that's there in the ocean today is just incredible. There's tiny, tiny life right at the beginning of the food chain.

The crabs and the prawns that have come back, the sea life and the plant life that's there in abundance are all part of a re- newal and part of the fact that, yes, you can have manufacturing, you can have heavy industry, you can have a tourist industry and agricultural industry in virtually a small geographical area such as the Cowichan Valley — a beautiful future for us all.

If I climb to the top of Mount Provost — which is that very unique mountain, as I drive through the Cowichan Valley, with the two humps to it — and I stand at the top of that mountain and look out at the view that you have over Cowichan Bay and Quamichan Lake, Somenos Lake, the town of Duncan, up through the valley to Lake Cowichan and over to Chemainus, quite frankly, I don't believe I have ever seen a sight as beautiful and as plentiful as what God created from the top of that mountain, and I've trav- elled much of the world. It's absolutely stunning.

It makes you stand back, when you're up there, and pause for a moment to just reflect about how much we have — not only what I have in the valley that I live in and what we have on Vancouver Island, but what we have in all of this great province, how much we have to b e t h a n k f u l f o r , a n d h o w m u c h m o r e w e c a n d o a n d how better we can do it, as this government builds to bring about a new era in British Columbia. Bringing about that new era is through the whole aspect of individual responsibility. We waned from that. We became a province that turned to government to do everything.

If there was a problem, bring in a law. If it wasn't right, bring in a regulation — always turning to government as though somehow govern- ment had the answer and government knew what was

1320 B RITISH COLUMBIA DEBATES M ONDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 2002 best for all of us. How sadly we've been mistaken about that. We weren't mistaken, actually. We made that deci- sion this past May, and we decided that once again we as a society have to take individual responsibility. It isn't government. Government is only one portion of how society builds itself. It's there to provide a certain level of service and a certain order.

Most importantly, w h a t w e h a v e t o d o a s g o v e r n m e n t i s m a k e s u r e t h a t we're encouraging individual responsibility, entrepre- neurship — the aspect of taking responsibility for your own life. We must be there as a government to protect the most vulnerable. We must be there to ensure that for those who have difficulties beyond their own control, there are people there to help them. We as a govern- ment must make sure that our services provide for that but not be out front, not be saying that all of what will happen in the province will be done by us as govern- ment. Heavens, no.

No, we want to be back. We want to be quiet. We want to be out of the way. We want to once again encourage the individual to be able to take advantage of the great prospects and the opportunities that are here in this grand province and to flourish on their own and with one another in building together. When we look across this province, we look at the forestry sector and what's facing us — both with the softwood lumber and the tasks that the Minister of Forests has in regards to tenure reform and new stumpage regulation and the softwood lumber issue that's there. One w

Document details

Collection	British Columbia — Debates (Hansard)
Citation	H0225pm-13
Type	hansard
Volume / chapter	H0225pm 13
Language	en
Format	pdf
Source	PROVINCIAL
Identifier	360cd6dd6a506310a7587ae2fcdb5642290d4551

Source file is stored in the law ingest library (pdf).