2016 Legislative Session: Fifth Session, 40th Parliament

HANSARD

The following electronic version is for informational purposes only.

The printed version remains the official version.

official report of

Debates of the Legislative Assembly

(hansard)

Wednesday, February 10, 2016

Afternoon Sitting

Volume 32, Number

ISSN 0709-1281 (Print)

ISSN 1499-2175 (Online)

CONTENTS

Page

Routine Business

Introductions by Members

Tributes

Debra Hartung

G. Holman

Ollie Chickite

C. Trevena

Introductions by Members

Ministerial Statements

Bill Bennett

Hon. C. Clark

J. Horgan

Introduction and

First Reading of Bills

Bill 5 — Miscellaneous Statutes (Signed Statements) Amendment Act, 2016

Hon. S. Anton

Bill 6 — Pharmacy Operations and Drug Scheduling Amendment Act, 2016

Hon. T. Lake

Statements

(Standing Order 25B)

Leonard Kooyman

L. Throness

Internment of Italian Canadians during World War II

K. Conroy

Squamish Lil’wat Cultural Centre exhibit

J. Sturdy

Response to UBC pride rainbow flag burning

D. Eby

Real Acts of Caring Week

L. Reimer

Tima Kurdi and Syrian refugees

S. Robinson

Oral Questions

Housing affordability in Lower Mainland and investigation into real estate transactions

J. Horgan

Hon. C. Clark

D. Eby

G. Heyman

Hon. M. de Jong

Real estate transactions and collection of property transfer tax

C. James

Hon. M. de Jong

Education Ministry data breach

R. Fleming

Hon. M. Bernier

D. Routley

Petitions

N. Macdonald

K. Conroy

Orders of the Day

Throne Speech Debate

J. Martin

J. Thornthwaite

N. Macdonald

D. Barnett

S. Robinson

L. Reimer

L. Krog

D. Bing

D. Routley

Hon. P. Fassbender

G. Heyman

L. Larson

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WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 2016

The House met at 1:34 p.m.

[Madame Speaker in the chair.]

Routine Business

Prayers.

[1335]

Introductions by Members

L. Reimer: It’s my absolute pleasure to welcome a wonderful group of students from the Tri-Cities to the Legislature this afternoon. My constituent Harriette Chang, school counsellor at Maple Creek Middle School, and 27 students and parents are visiting the Legislature to mark the tenth anniversary of their Real Acts of Caring initiative, which started in school district 43 schools and has spread across the province. Would the House please join me in a warm welcome for Ms. Chang, her students and parents.

Hon. S. Bond: I’m very pleased today to introduce two MLAs, one present and one past. We’re delighted to welcome Karla MacFarlane here. She is the MLA for Pictou West in Nova Scotia, serving her first time. I know the Speaker has made her feel very welcome this morning, and we’re delighted to have her joining us here on the floor of the House. So welcome.

And a previous MLA in this House — someone who is a very good personal friend. He was my work partner for a very long period of time. He now, though, is the current owner and creator of Northern Lights Estate Winery, proving there is life after politics. He has done a fantastic job of building a new winery in our community. Pat worked very hard to serve the constituents of northern British Columbia. I’m most delighted to welcome back to our House, in a different seat today, Pat Bell.

J. Horgan: I want to join the member for Prince George to welcome Pat back. I’d like to be able to say: “Pat Bell, Pat Bell, Pat Bell.” I couldn’t say that before. Pat distinguished himself by sitting down beside me at the press gallery dinner the first time I was there, making me feel at ease in his Hawaiian shirt, and we were sort of friends ever since.

I also want to follow the lead of the minister by introducing two new MLAs that were here yesterday, but because of decorum I wasn’t allowed to introduce them. They’ll be taking their seats next Wednesday — about there and there. It will be Melanie Mark and Jodie Wickens. I know the House will make them very, very welcome at that time.

Hon. S. Cadieux: It’s an honour today to introduce to the House a couple of people who work very hard in the Ministry of Children and Families. ADM of service delivery, Allison Bond, is in the gallery today, along with a brand-new executive director of service, Teresa Dobmeier. Would the House please make them welcome.

S. Robinson: I, too, would like to welcome the students that are here. But in particular, I want to acknowledge a parent of one of the students who happens to be a vice-principal of a school in Burnaby. He had been my son’s teacher when he was a teacher at Dr. Charles Best. David Mushens is here.

I want to give a very special welcome to David because he instilled in my son a passion for politics and a passion for good process. It just so happens that my son was here visiting us. Aaron Robinson was here. Aaron and Mr. Mushens have a very special relationship, and I am very pleased to see Mr. Mushens is here today.

Hon. N. Letnick: At lunches, at breakfasts, at suppers, one of the key ingredients in many, many of our meals is chicken. I’m pleased to welcome Robin Smith — and his wife, Liz — of our chicken board right here in British Columbia. Please make them feel very welcome.

Hon. N. Yamamoto: The Minister of Agriculture just beat me to the punch, but I would also like to welcome two special guests, Robin and Elizabeth Smith, who are in town for the Chicken Marketing Board. Robin is the chair. Anyways, they’ve been great friends and great supporters. Would the House please make them feel welcome.

Tributes

DEBRA HARTUNG

G. Holman: My former constituency assistant, Deb Hartung, passed away on February 3, 2016, at Lady Minto Hospital on Saltspring Island. Debra is survived by her husband, Bill Warriner; daughter Bronte; special niece Justine; brother Rick and family; and sister Tammy and family.

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Debra worked as a senior policy analyst in several roles within the Saskatchewan government. She was particularly proud of her career as an international officer with the ministry of Intergovernmental Affairs, where she met her husband, Bill. Debra had an abiding fondness for the Saskatchewan prairies and its people, but she fell in love with Saltspring on her first visit in 2010.

She moved to this special place in the summer of 2013 and began working in my office in the fall of that year. She was able to help many people in this role and was quietly instrumental in constituency issues, like Grace Islet, until she retired at 60 in October 2015.

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Debra was a long-life advocate for social justice and a consummate public servant who had worked with Premiers, yet she chose to spend the last two years of her professional life mentoring my constituency office. Her colleagues — and I’m proud to count myself as one — will always be thankful to her for sharing her experience, her calm guidance and her prairie pragmatism.

Thank you, Deb.

OLLIE CHICKITE

C. Trevena: Ollie Chickite died in November at the age of 78. Ollie had been a fisherman from the age of 14, and he worked on and was the last owner of the BCP45. That was the seiner that used to grace the $5 bill.

He took it to Expo 86, continued fishing from it and eventually retired it, handing it over to the Vancouver Maritime Museum. It didn’t get the TLC there that he thought it deserved, so he helped move it to the Campbell River Maritime Heritage Museum and led its restoration. It now graces the centre of the Campbell River Maritime Heritage Museum, and it’s well worth a visit.

In 2005, Ollie’s vessel was named a national historical site. Ollie was a member of the Wei Wai Kai First Nation. He was a gentle man, a good storyteller with a very warm laugh, a man of definite opinions, a lover of boats. Ollie will be missed by many in Cape Mudge, on Quadra Island, in Campbell River and along the coast of B.C.

Introductions by Members

M. Farnworth: I know they have already been introduced by some of my colleagues from the Tri-Cities, but I’d like to take this opportunity to welcome the students from Maple Creek Middle School, formerly known as Hastings Junior Secondary. It is in the great city of Port Coquitlam, so I would like to welcome their teacher Ms. Chang and all of those grade 8 students here today.

Would the House please make them welcome.

Ministerial Statements

BILL BENNETT

Hon. C. Clark: Last year, we lost British Columbia’s 27th Premier. I didn’t have the honour of knowing him well personally, but I know very well the example he set for his office and for this Legislature.

I was 11 years old when he became a Premier, and I was on the cusp of 21 when he retired from public life. He very much set my understanding of what a leader looks like in the time that he was the Premier of British Columbia. I became attached to him as my Premier in the way that you can only become attached to a Premier before you realize that they come and go at a pretty quick pace in British Columbia.

He left us a vast legacy of cultural and economic touchstones — the Alex Fraser Bridge, Coquihalla Highway, B.C. Place, Expo 86, the SkyTrain. They did the initial work on Site C, which we are now in the process of completing. But Bill Bennett’s impact on British Columbia and, I think, on British Columbians was so much more than just the physical legacies that he left for us.

The great social reformer Jane Addams once said that when we think of great men, it is easy to think only of their great deeds and not think enough about their great spirit. That’s what I think about when I think about Bill Bennett and his service to our province.

The stories of his cabinet’s loyalty…. I’ve heard it said that his cabinet ministers didn’t just feel respect for him but that they loved him. He let them do their jobs, let them take credit for their victories, and he commanded that respect from them because he gave it.

He had such a fierce strength in his beliefs. We all saw that. He stood up to make government smaller, not bigger. He stood up to make sure that government spent less, not more. He was attacked for it vigorously, and he never wavered from those beliefs, because he had courage.

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He had an apparently endless reservoir of will to do what he believed was right. So when all of Canada was hurting, when it became clear that in British Columbia, government was just too big and the economy was just too small, Bill Bennett decided that it was time to take it on. In one day, he tabled 26 bills in this Legislature and stepped outside to confront the biggest labour disruption in this province’s history. He was asking our public servants — it’s notable to say — to accept 14 percent and 8 percent increases over two years.

He loved this province, and he had a tremendous desire to improve it. He wanted to leave it better for the next generation, and he did that. He left us with bridges, and he left us highways. He left us a world fair. But more important, I think, was the example that he set of the tremendous courage that he always exuded in everything that he did. Those are the qualities of character that are the real legacies that Bill Bennett has left, I think, for British Columbians. Those are the things that have etched him forever into the memory of our province.

We are honoured by his love for this place. He didn’t just make our province better; he made all of us better. And he proved that leaders will never be remembered for doing the easy things. Leaders are distinguished by their willingness to do the hard things.

J. Horgan: I, on behalf of the official opposition, want to join with the Premier and all of her colleagues in commemorating the passing of William Bennett, Premier of British Columbia, distinguished public servant and someone who gave much of his life to his devotion to this province and its people.

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That career paralleled another giant in our political history, Dave Barrett, and despite their absolute differences, the two will always be joined as giant shadows cast over this jurisdiction, this institution, but also the province.

My political awakening, like the Premier’s, happened on Mr. Bennett’s watch. I remember it vividly. I got an envelope in the mail, and I said: “Hey, mom, what’s this?” She said: “They’re your BCRIC shares. I’ll give you 35 bucks for them.” I pocketed that money, and I thanked Bill Bennett for it.

Years later, I found myself on the lawns of this Legislature, on one of my first political protests, which led me taking $5 of those $35 and joining the B.C. NDP as a result of the policies — no, seriously — that the Premier references. But as a young man, as someone who did not at that time see himself in a political role, I did not understand the magnitude of his premiership and his time served for all of us here, regardless of our political stripe.

It was later, as a member of this Legislature, that a second personal moment with Bill Bennett came forward. I was giving a tour, as I often do, of the buildings, and I always take school groups to the library, which in my opinion is the most important room in this facility. One of the kids from Sooke Elementary asked me if there was a comic book in the vast collection of the library. I quickly said, “No,” to be corrected by the reference librarian, who said there is one: “Betty and Veronica go to Expo.”

So Mr. Bennett did not just have an impact in 1986 by bringing the world to Vancouver, but he also brought to the good citizens, the good students of Sooke Elementary and every student that’s come since, the knowledge that in the library here at the Legislature, Betty and Veronica went to Expo because of Bill Bennett.

I want to also add to the great list that the Premier provided of Mr. Bennett’s great accomplishments. B.C. Hydro was certainly a component part of that. Building Revelstoke was a massive achievement — and also creating the B.C. Utilities Commission to protect us from ourselves. Great achievements, a great man. He’ll be missed.

Introduction and

First Reading of Bills

BILL 5 — MISCELLANEOUS STATUTES

(SIGNED STATEMENTS) AMENDMENT ACT, 2016

Hon. S. Anton presented a message from Her Honour the Lieutenant-Governor: a bill intituled Miscellaneous Statutes (Signed Statements) Amendment Act, 2016.

Hon. S. Anton: I move that Bill 5 be introduced and read a first time now.

Motion approved.

[1350]

Hon. S. Anton: I’m pleased to introduce the Miscellaneous Statutes (Signed Statements) Amendment Act. This bill amends numerous statutes from across government to reduce the unnecessary use of sworn statements in many non-court-related matters. The amendments will modernize and simplify the law, improve access to justice and reduce cost, delay and inconvenience to the citizens of British Columbia. The amendments will reduce red tape.

I move that the bill be placed on the orders of the day for second reading at the next sitting of the House after today.

Bill 5, Miscellaneous Statutes (Signed Statements) Amendment Act, 2016, introduced, read a first time and ordered to be placed on orders of the day for second reading at the next sitting of the House after today.

BILL 6 — PHARMACY OPERATIONS AND

DRUG SCHEDULING AMENDMENT ACT, 2016

Hon. T. Lake presented a message from Her Honour the Lieutenant-Governor: a bill intituled Pharmacy Operations and Drug Scheduling Amendment Act, 2016.

Hon. T. Lake: I move that the Pharmacy Operations and Drug Scheduling Amendment Act be introduced and read for a first time now.

Motion approved.

Hon. T. Lake: This government has made protecting patients and focusing on patient-centred care a priority for the health system here in British Columbia. The community pharmacy plays a vital role in the overall delivery of health services and meeting patient needs.

Clients go to community pharmacies to fill prescriptions, to get vaccinated, to receive medication advice and to get support while recovering from opioid addictions through methadone maintenance. Community pharmacies also offer advice through pharmacists on properly taking medication, drug safety and other topics. In fact, the community pharmacy and its pharmacists are on the front line of community health care. It’s essential, therefore, that community pharmacies are held to the highest standards.

The College of Pharmacists of British Columbia already upholds those standards for pharmacists throughout B.C. and has done a commendable job. While the vast majority of people involved in community pharmacy are honest and ethical, the college remains concerned over a small number of unscrupulous pharmacy owners. The Ministry of Health and the college share a commitment to protect pharmacy clients and honest, hard-working people involved in community pharmacy.

Last year the college approached the ministry and said it needed better tools for regulating those involved

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in community pharmacy who are not registered pharmacists. Quite often the owners and people involved in running pharmacies are not pharmacists themselves and, therefore, not regulated by the college.

That’s why we are introducing the Pharmacy Operations and Drug Scheduling Amendment Act, which will give the college the tools it needs to better deal with those instances of unscrupulous owners and operations. Through these amendments, the government will continue to support the important work of the College of Pharmacists to protect patients. They’ll also help the college protect the good name of the vast majority of those in community pharmacy.

I move that the Pharmacy Operations and Drug Scheduling Amendment Act be placed on orders of the day for second reading at the next sitting of the House after today.

Bill 6, Pharmacy Operations and Drug Scheduling Amendment Act, 2016, introduced, read a first time and ordered to be placed on orders of the day for second reading at the next sitting of the House after today.

Statements

(Standing Order 25B)

LEONARD KOOYMAN

L. Throness: I rise today to pay tribute to Leonard Kooyman, of Chilliwack, who passed away on January 21. Leonard was born in Holland in 1938. He spent his childhood with his brothers and sisters on a dairy farm in the province of Zeeland.

On February 1, 1953, the southwest of Holland suffered the worst flood in its history when a storm surge from the North Sea breached the dikes in the middle of the night and took a total of 1,800 lives. One of Leen’s brothers was lost when the family farmhouse itself was swept away while the Kooyman family took refuge in the attic.

This traumatic event made a deep spiritual impression on young Leonard and changed the course of his life. Having lost everything, the Kooyman family immigrated to Canada, where they purchased a farm on Prairie Central Road in Chilliwack. It remains their central farmsite today.

Leen married Gerda in 1964, and together they brought new meaning to the term “family farm.” With seven boys and three girls, there was no shortage of labour, and as the size of the family grew, so did the size of their herd. Other local farms were purchased, and today the Kooyman children and grandchildren operate Canada’s largest dairy farm.

In spite of his personal and professional success, Leen was a quiet and humble man. It was important to him to acknowledge God as the giver of all blessings and to use them responsibly. In addition to his business activities, Leen served as a deacon of the Bethel Netherlands Reformed Congregation in Chilliwack for 30 years, retiring from that position just last year.

Leonard was a leader in his family, his community and his industry, and his loss will be keenly felt. The condolences of this House go to Gerda, their ten children, 45 grandchildren and 15 great-grandchildren. Well done, good and faithful servant.

[1355]

INTERNMENT OF ITALIAN CANADIANS

DURING WORLD WAR II

K. Conroy: On January 10, the Trail and District Library opened the exhibit Ordinary Lives, Extraordinary Times: Italian Canadian internment experiences. This project commemorates the experience of Italian Canadians during World War II.

On June 10, 1940, Mussolini joined the war. Within minutes of this announcement, the Canadian government gave the RCMP orders to arrest Italian Canadians considered a threat to the nation’s security. Thirty-one thousand were officially designated as enemy aliens. Of these, about 600 were taken from their homes and separated from their families.

Viewed as fascist supporters and even spies, they were held in prisons and remote camps. None of them were ever formally charged in a court of law. They all felt the repercussions. In many cases, these events contributed to fear and hostilities in their communities across Canada, leading to loss of work, vandalism, verbal abuse and violence.

In Trail, seven men were arrested that June. Eugenio Della Lana, Ermando Cecconi, Pompilio Di Vito and Augusto Secco were all released one month later. Silvio Romano was not released till July ’42. Victor Fabri, a lawyer, whose wife and family lived in Vancouver, wasn’t released until December ’41.

Fioravante Tenisci, or Fred, was detained until September ’43. After his release, Fred returned to Trail and in June ’45 married a Canadian-born Italian, Emily, 15 years his junior, and they had ten kids. His son, Ray, who still lives in Trail said they fell in love in Vancouver before the war. Her mother said no, that Fred was too old, and the marriage couldn’t happen.

Fred sent Emily letters during his detainment via the priest, as he knew that her mother would never let her have the letters. The mother, though, was too smart and told the priest that if he got letters, to hide them. It obviously didn’t work.

Trail is the only community outside Toronto where the exhibit is being displayed, although you can also go on line to italiancanadianww2.ca and view stories and photos and listen to interviews of Italian Canadians talking about how the internment affected their families. Men from Kamloops, Vancouver and Trail — a dark part of our history that is finally being shared.

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SQUAMISH LIL’WAT

CULTURAL CENTRE EXHIBIT

J. Sturdy: A new exhibit has just opened in the Squamish Lil’wat Cultural Centre in Whistler. The cultural centre is an institution whose mission is to inspire and educate visitors and community members about the depth and beauty of the distinct Skwxwú7mesh and Lil’wat cultures. The new exhibit from the Legacy of Hope Foundation is called Where are the Children?: Healing the Legacy of the Residential Schools. It opened this past weekend and runs until October.

The goal of Where are the Children? is to help visitors come to understand the history of residential schools and the lasting impact that residential schools have had on generations of aboriginal peoples and on the First Nations, Inuit and Métis cultures, languages and communities. The exhibition also helps to inform visitors of the impact that residential schools have had on shaping relations between aboriginal and non-aboriginal Canadians and on shaping the history of this country.

Through photographs, stories and documents, the exhibit encourages visitors to ask questions and understand this period, which has been such a significant part of First Nations history in Canada, as well as putting context to our collective opportunities for the future.

The Squamish Lil’wat Cultural Centre is the ideal location to showcase Where are the Children? The centre, which is an impressive collaborative project between First Nations, local and provincial governments, aims to revive and renew cultural traditions, to be a place to share and pass down traditional stories and to support skill development and generate sustainable business practices. And incidentally, it’s a recipient of the 2014 TripAdvisor award of excellence.

Where are the Children? will be one of this year’s most important exhibits for Whistler as well as Canada, and I encourage you all to take the time to visit.

RESPONSE TO UBC

PRIDE RAINBOW FLAG BURNING

D. Eby: I’m very proud of the work of the students of the University of British Columbia, and again this week I was reminded of why. Students at UBC, under the leadership of the UBC Pride Collective, have pulled together to denounce the burning of a rainbow flag at the school,

an act that took place some time over the Family Day long weekend. The rainbow flag is a symbol of the long struggle of gay, lesbian, bisexual and trans people in British Columbia and the world to have the same rights and opportunities as everyone else.

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It was displayed at UBC as a symbol of the UBC community support for OUTweek, an annual event where students, faculty, staff and administration emphasize support and outreach efforts for students who may feel isolated, scared and alone because of who they are.

The message of flying the pride flag is: “Campus is a safe place for you. You have a right to be here.” The message of the thoughtless, hateful act is that a large group of people at UBC no longer feel welcome. They feel that campus is not a safe place for them.

Students of every background, every race and every gender and sexuality have the right to attend school in British Columbia free from harassment, racism, discrimination and threats. They have the right to a safe learning environment and the same opportunities as everyone else — period.

That’s why I’m so proud that despite this act of vandalism and hate, the UBC Pride Collective is proceeding full speed ahead with OUTweek. As Yulanda Lui told the Georgia Straight: “This is a really difficult time for a lot of us, but we see this as a big reason why we do the work we do…this is just part of the motivation we have.”

Congratulations to the Pride Collective and the UBC lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered community and their allies for your courage in standing up to threats, bullying and hate. We all support you in your efforts to educate and empower more than ever this week.

REAL ACTS OF CARING WEEK

L. Reimer: British Columbians are no strangers to real acts of caring. We have some of the most active and supportive communities I’ve ever met. Thanks to school counsellor Harriette Chang and students from Maple Creek Middle, Scott Creek Middle, Panorama Heights, Harbour View, Mountain Meadows and Anmore Elementary schools, Real Acts of Caring has been officially proclaimed to be the week of February 14 to 20, a week where everyone feels cared for.

Schools and communities have been participating in Real Acts of Caring for over ten years now, but this year’s goal is to reach everyone and all school districts in the province to bring positive experiences to every British Columbian. Recognizing what happens every day is a first step in encouraging others to join to make our communities happier, friendlier and better places to live. Whether by carrying someone’s groceries, giving up your seat for an elderly person on public transit, buying a stranger a cup of coffee or topping off someone’s parking, you can bring a moment of joy to a total stranger.

This all started with a few students wanting to make a difference, to show others what it feels like to be cared for by a complete stranger. The students from Maple Creek Middle School became leaders in their school and community, and they’ve become advocates for change.

I’ve had the pleasure, in my years as an elected official, to see firsthand the reaction of people when they experience a real act of caring. You can’t hide a genuine smile. Sometimes in our busy lives, we forget how many op-

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portunities there are to demonstrate we care. Real Acts of Caring Week is a chance to connect with people and remember how important we are to one another and to bring positive change to our lives, all without expecting anything in return.

Thank you to Harriette Chang and to the students who have travelled here today for promoting this great cause, Real Acts of Caring Week.

TIMA KURDI AND SYRIAN REFUGEES

S. Robinson: According to the Oxford Dictionary , a hero is a person who is admired for their courage, outstanding achievements or noble qualities, and Coquitlam is home to one such hero. Now, she would never agree to the title, but in my eyes, she’s a hero because she has demonstrated tremendous courage. She has been relentless with her efforts, and as a result of her efforts, she’s changed the world.

On September 2, 2015, the world saw and realized the full impact that the civil war in Syria was having on its people. We all saw Alan Kurdi’s tiny body washed up on the shore, and our collective hearts broke at the sight. We had all read about what was going on in Syria, or we heard about it on the radio or saw it on the news, but there was something about that image that struck a different chord for all of us. We had the picture, but we didn’t have the story.

The story came from Alan’s aunt, Tima Kurdi, a suburban mom who makes her home in Coquitlam-Maillardville. Tima was the one who told us about three-year-old Alan and his five-year-old brother, Ghalib. She was the one to tell the world how the family had been trying to escape the violence in their country by making their way to Turkey. She was the one trying to get her older brother Mohammed and his family to Canada, before bringing her younger brother and his family to Canada, and at the time was having great difficulties.

Tima was the one who shared with us her younger brother’s heartache at losing his two sons and his wife to the seas as they tried to make their way to safety. Tima was the one responding to reporters from all around the world, telling her brother’s stories, talking about her nieces and nephews and the fact that their lives were no longer lives of children who went to school or who played with their friends. Tima was the one who travelled to Europe to meet the world leaders and talk about the plight of Syrian refugees.

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Tima Kurdi is a suburban mom raising her family with her husband, Rocco. She operates a small hairdressing salon in Port Coquitlam, and she has become a spokesperson and advocate for those desperate enough to take to the seas to escape civil war and to seek out safety for their families.

In my eyes, Tima Kurdi is a hero who saw what was happening and gave voice to those who have no voice. Thank you, Tima, for helping us to see, for sharing the story and for speaking up for others. You are, indeed, a hero.

Oral Questions

HOUSING AFFORDABILITY IN LOWER MAINLAND

AND INVESTIGATION INTO

REAL ESTATE TRANSACTIONS

J. Horgan: In neighbourhoods across the Lower Mainland, housing prices are absolutely and completely out of control. Property speculation is clearly part of the problem. A whole range of other issues — foreign investment has been tagged as one of the potential problems. But throughout the past year, the Premier has sat indifferent to appeals for action with respect to housing prices in the Lower Mainland.

Red hot would be an exaggeration of the markets today, and that says something in British Columbia, where the ups and downs are well known to all of us. But she’s claimed that her government has been investigating for the past year.

But it was only this week, after the work of the member for Vancouver–Point Grey and the media, that we discovered evidence of shadow flipping, a practice that the Premier now apparently knows quite a bit about. She said yesterday to media that she’s known about it for some time.

So my question is to the Premier. If she has been working on this file of affordability in the Lower Mainland, and if she’s known about shadow flipping for some time, why in the world hasn’t she done something about it, not just to protect realtors but to protect consumers, to protect sellers and to protect the economy?

Hon. C. Clark: Gung hay fat choy. Gongxi facai. I’m delighted to be back in this legislative chamber to do the work that we’re looking forward to doing this session as we start a new Chinese New Year.

On the issue of affordability, I do want to correct the member. I’m pretty sure that the member for Point Grey learned about it in the Globe and Mail , but I will also say that we are working on making sure that this is addressed.

Now, the Finance Minister and I were both very clear yesterday that the Real Estate Council, with the assistance of a group chaired by a statutory officer in the government, will be looking at and investigating the issue. Really, what’s at issue here is the fact that for a buyer, it’s absolutely vital that they have trust in their realtor. When that realtor may have failed to disclose that they also have an interest with another buyer while they’re trying to manage the sale of the home…. Clearly, if that’s happened, it’s against their legal and ethical obligations. So we’ll wait for the report, the investigation, to be completed.

As I said yesterday, though, I don’t have a lot of patience for this. We expect that it will be done quickly, and

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if it’s not done quickly by the Real Estate Council, we will fix it for them.

Madame Speaker: The Leader of the Official Opposition on a supplemental.

J. Horgan: Never letting the facts get in the way of a partisan quip, the Premier missed the point that the member for Vancouver–Point Grey contacted the Real Estate Board well over a month ago about this issue.

Interjection.

J. Horgan: It’s all well and good for the histrionics from Quilchena there, where housing prices are probably affordable for his constituents, but for the rest of us, it’s completely and utterly out of control.

Last year, when we raised these issues in this Legislature — not last weekend, not last month, but last year — the Premier said, “If you don’t like it, move to the north,” which is a reasonable proposition, I suppose, if people want to move to the north, but does zero to affect affordability in the Lower Mainland.

Her opposite number there, the Minister Responsible for Housing, replied to questions, again, from the able member for Vancouver–Point Grey, an area that the Premier might be familiar with. He asked, specifically, the minister for housing what he was going to do about it, and he said: “Well, I think housing prices are quite affordable.” Again, perhaps for those on that side of the House, multi-million-dollar increases in neighbourhoods are okay, but for the rest of British Columbia, it’s startling and disconcerting. Shadow flipping is affecting confidence not just in realtors, not just in this Premier, but is affecting how people look at the economy.

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Now, the Premier knows her dependence — and the Minister of Finance can correct her if she’s not up to speed on this — on the property transfer tax. If she’s been looking at this issue for some time now, can she advise the House and British Columbians how much we’ve been losing on property transfer tax revenues because of shadow flipping in British Columbia?

Hon. C. Clark: The issue of affordability in the Lower Mainland is of great concern to the government. The Member will be pleased, I’m sure, when he sees the budget and some of the measures that are in it that have been underway for some time. I’m sure he’s also delighted to know that the government is absolutely committed to making sure that we address this specific issue that has come to public attention — apparently in the last month for the NDP.

I will also say this, though. As our economy continues to grow…. British Columbia is No. 1 in Canada in economic growth, doubling growth in the rest of the country. Fifty thousand new jobs created last year in B.C. — No. 1 in Canada.

Ten thousand people have in-migrated from across the country to make their homes here in British Columbia, including 5,000, or somewhere thereabouts, who’ve crossed the Rockies from Alberta to make their homes here in British Columbia. We are delighted to be able to welcome them here.

However, it does present issues of affordability. It’s no doubt the downside of a fast-growing economy. And the Member will be delighted to know that in the budget we have measures to address some of these issues that have been raised, because clearly, these are very serious issues for young people. But it won’t just be issues with respect to affordability of housing. There will be a range of measures that we will be funding and addressing because — guess what — when British Columbia is No. 1, we can afford it.

Madame Speaker: The Leader of the Official Opposition on a final supplemental.

J. Horgan: Several numbers from the Premier but, of course, never the one that’s been asked for — that being: what was the loss in revenue as a result of these shady practices?

The Premier now says that the real estate board…. The hens should be comforted by this — that the foxes now are going to take a look and see if the self-regulation that worked so well at Mount Polley can work in this case as well.

I’m wanting to know if the Premier has reviewed the statistics that have been placed ably in her binder by her staff, if anywhere in there it says that perhaps a better solution to restore confidence in this area is to not appoint a government appointee to observe and oversee a review by the real estate board but instead to find someone completely independent.

Now, we’ve had to go through this routine several times over a vast range of issues with this government and particularly with this Premier, whether it be Health firings, whether it be deleted emails, whether it be children in care. It always takes a lot of cajoling to get to the final point, which is: how about someone independent to protect the interest of British Columbians when the government of B.C. doesn’t do it?

Will the Premier avoid months of questioning, and just do it today? Appoint someone independent to get to the bottom of this before the stench gets too bad, even for your backbench.

Hon. C. Clark: Well, we are all very familiar with the numerous and regular requests we get from the opposition for an independent public inquiry on every matter that comes before the Legislature — the millions that they would spend on that and the length of time that would

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take. We intend to work more quickly than that, and we intend to make sure that we get it done.

Interjections.

Madame Speaker: Members.

Hon. C. Clark: But it is a little rich to hear the Leader of the Opposition talk about affordability when he says he wants to raise the carbon tax on everybody in the province to pay for transit in the Lower Mainland. He wants to raise ICBC rates for everyone in the province to pay for transit in the Lower Mainland. He wants to pay for half-empty schools in Vancouver and make everyone across British Columbia pay for that.

He wants to nationalize B.C. Ferries at the cost of hundreds of millions of dollars to everyone all across the province.

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These are the member’s approaches to affordability. It’s a little bit rich to hear him stand up and pick on issues where he thinks that there is a problem, because affordability is an issue with respect to housing; it’s an issue with respect to taxes; and it’s an issue with respect to ferries, B.C. Hydro and a whole range, almost all of which the member would like to see become more expensive rather than less.

D. Eby: According to sworn testimony in front of the B.C. Securities Commission just three months ago, realtor Liang Ming Wei attended a Bank of Montreal branch at the Park Royal mall in West Vancouver with his client, a resident and citizen of China who wanted to buy a house in the Lower Mainland.

When opening the bank account, Mr. Wei’s client lied about her residency, saying she was a resident of Canada. She was not. She lied about her occupation, saying she was a homemaker. She actually works in the transportation industry. Finally, she lied about where she lived, using Mr. Wei’s real estate office address in Burnaby as her home address. Her home address was not in Burnaby; it was in China.

Mr. Wei was there the whole time assisting his client with the process. He later came to the bank himself and deposited $520,000 into the account, including a money order that had been obtained by fraud that was the subject of the B.C. Securities Commission itself.

Does the Premier agree that this is exactly the kind of transaction that should be investigated by the Real Estate Council of British Columbia, the agency tasked with being the watchdog of real estate agents in British Columbia?

Hon. C. Clark: As I said, we don’t have a lot of patience to see this investigation go on a long time. Self-regulating professions in British Columbia, including lawyers and nurses and doctors and dentists and the realty industry, have the right and the obligation, the responsibility, to discharge those duties. But as I said, we expect this investigation to be quick. We expect it to be well done. If it is not, at the end of that investigation, properly fixed, our government is going to do that for them.

Madame Speaker: Vancouver–Point Grey on a supplemental.

D. Eby: Despite sworn testimony that a B.C. realtor brought a client to a bank where that client then committed fraud, lying about where she lived and where her residency was, by using the B.C. realtor’s office as her address instead of her own and the realtor personally depositing a money order obtained by fraud into that account, the real estate council responsible for investigating realtor conduct never investigated.

Three months have passed and still no investigation, even though the Real Estate Council of B.C. is well aware of this case. They’re also well aware of this practice of realtors helping clients avoid money-laundering rules by using realtors’ office addresses instead of their own. How do they know? I wrote to them about it in January.

If the Real Estate Council of B.C. is so incompetent that it doesn’t investigate realtors even when they’re handed sworn testimony about realtors’ direct and personal involvement in fraud, in avoiding money-laundering rules, why is the Premier the only person left in B.C. that has confidence in this council to do this investigation?

Hon. C. Clark: The committee that is investigating this will be chaired by a statutory officer of the government who is independent and able to make those decisions independent of government and, of course, the realty industry.

I’m sure if the member is upset that we are acting to fix this, he’s going to be even more upset when he sees the budget and the other measures that we are bringing in that will address issues of affordability right across the board for all British Columbians in a growing economy that’s No. 1 in Canada. We want to make sure that economic growth and the benefits of that are shared and felt by people all across this great province.

G. Heyman: My constituents, many of them seniors, are telling me personal stories about a small group of realtors trying to pressure them into selling their homes.

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One 80-year-old woman finally sold to a realtor who claimed she wanted the house for herself — even that her dogs would love the backyard space — but then flipped the house within one week of the seller vacating her home. The house was torn down. The realtor made a cool extra $300,000.

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Is that how this government protects homeowners’ equity? When will the Premier take action and protect sellers and buyers from those realtors who put their own vested interests first?

Hon. M. de Jong: Look, there’s an issue here. There’s no question that a realtor, as a professional whose conduct is guided by statutory and other professional obligations, has a duty to the person they purport to represent, to act in that person’s best interest.

What we have seen is evidence that that, in some cases, is not taking place. That’s why the Real Estate Council has brought in the superintendent of real estate to review and investigate that matter specifically — because individuals who own a home, own property — probably the most valuable asset they’ll ever own — deserve to know that when they retain the services of a realtor, for whom they pay a sizeable amount of money, that that realtor is indeed acting in their best interests. That is what the Real Estate Council is going to investigate, and that is why the superintendent of real estate is involved.

Madame Speaker: The member for Vancouver-Fairview on a supplemental.

G. Heyman: The Premier claims she has known about this practice for some time, yet we’ve heard about no action until public revelations.

Families with two wage earners are finding it impossible to remain in the neighbourhood they and their kids love. Now we’ve learned that some realtors are engaged in what can only be described as predatory practice. They’ve taken advantage of homeowners and buyers, and they’re helping drive housing prices out of most people’s reach.

You can’t address affordability by allowing the market to be manipulated. The government has known about this practice and done nothing. When will the Premier put a stop to this market manipulation and protect sellers, buyers and the taxpayer?

Hon. M. de Jong: In recognizing the importance of the issue, I have taken the opportunity to write to the Real Estate Council to make clear the seriousness with which the government views this matter and the seriousness with which we expect the real estate sector, as a self-regulated industry, along the lines of other industries…. I noted the member for Vancouver–Point Grey, in one of his correspondences, actually referenced the Law Society, in an analogous situation, as a self-regulated industry.

We expect the Real Estate Council to fulfil their obligation to protect the public interest. The superintendent of real estate is charged with the task and will now be directly involved. I’ve asked the Real Estate Council to complete their report in a timely way and to meet with government and with me by April 15 so that we can review their findings.

REAL ESTATE TRANSACTIONS AND

COLLECTION OF PROPERTY TRANSFER TAX

C. James: The Premier admitted that her government was aware of shadow flipping, but she still won’t take immediate action. In addition to the ethical and affordability issues, the province has not been collecting the property transfer tax on these shadowy real estate assignments.

My question is to the Premier. How much has her inaction cost taxpayers so far?

Hon. M. de Jong: Look, I may have a slight difference of opinion than the member about the crux of the issue here. The question is not around the assignment of contracts, which is a process that at times, depending on the condition of the market, can act to protect the interests of a vendor.

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The issue is realtors who do not disclose when basic and fundamental conflicts of interest exist. That is something a vendor deserves to know. If a realtor is engaged in a transaction and, on the one hand, purporting to act in the best interest of the vendor but, on the other hand, seeking financial advantage for themselves or other parties, that is a conflict.

The Real Estate Council plays an important role in protecting the public interest. They are engaged in that work. We’ll await their initial report and, as the Premier has said, if they don’t take this matter seriously and don’t arrive at solutions to prevent that kind of conflict from continuing, the government will act.

Madame Speaker: Victoria–Beacon Hill on a supplemental.

C. James: I’d like to remind the Premier and the Finance Minister that, in fact, taxpayers are also impacted through this process through the property transfer tax. Last weekend the media reported on more than a dozen cases of shadow flipping in which the province wasn’t paid the property transfer tax. The member for Vancouver–Point Grey reported similar cases to the Real Estate Council in January and was told that they didn’t care.

My question is to the Premier. Has the Premier even made the effort to ask the Ministry of Finance to find out how much these dozen reported cases have cost the taxpayer?

Hon. M. de Jong: Two things, I think, flow from the hon. member’s question. First, rightly or wrongly, our property transfer tax is a taxation instrument that is triggered by registration…

Interjections.

[ Page 10240 ]

Madame Speaker: Members.

Hon. M. de Jong: …and that is the design of the act.

The members will, I’m sure, be interested, in a few days when the budget is presented, in any changes that might result. The thresholds that have been in place since the Vander Zalm government introduced it in the 1980s have been largely unchanged. Members will be interested to see if that changes at all with the budget.

To suggest, as the member has, that the Real Estate Council has not been engaged in fulfilment of its duty to protect the public interest by conducting investigations, by reviewing circumstances in which complaints have been filed, is simply not true. They have, in fact, done so.

In this case, with the assistance of the superintendent of real estate, they will conduct that work. They will report out, and we will determine, as government, whether they have addressed this fundamental question — which I, the Premier and the government agree is an important one — to protect the public interest.

EDUCATION MINISTRY DATA BREACH

R. Fleming: In response to the Information and Privacy Commissioner’s damning report issued two weeks ago that outlined in detail the complete disregard for the security of personal information collected on 3.4 million former B.C. students, the Premier was interviewed. True to form, she said this: “In Alberta, there are almost no rules” and “Instagram has come and gone.”

Well, I’m not exactly sure what Instagram has to do with the data security, but I’m quite sure that what everybody in this province understands is that there are legal rules in British Columbia. This government chose not to follow them, and that is, plain and simple, wrong.

My question to the Minister of Education is this. When there are widely understood rules through every ministry, when there is a legal obligation by his ministry to protect personal, private information about millions of British Columbians, why weren’t the rules and statutes and the protection of privacy criteria followed by this government?

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Hon. M. Bernier: It’s no surprise to anybody in this House that right from the get-go we said a mistake was made. An apology was issued at that time. Notification was made to all of the people that were affected. We also cooperated fully when an investigation was done into this issue.

What really bothers me is…. I listen to the members opposite, who actually go as far as basically insulting the staff within the ministry and the hard work that they’ve been doing. The Leader of the Opposition as well as the critic have publicly said that this is an issue with the staff.

I want to stand here and say I take exception to that. We have amazing staff. We have staff in the Ministry of Education that come to work every single day — devoted, hard-working staff, who have spent 30 and 40 years of their lives to make sure that we have the best education system in the province. It’s because of those staff members.

Was a mistake made? Absolutely. We acknowledged that, which is why we’re making sure we have steps in place to make sure it doesn’t happen again.

Madame Speaker: Victoria–Swan Lake on a supplemental.

R. Fleming: We agree with the Information and Privacy Commissioner who in her findings in her report said that the blame for this debacle belongs at the top — at the executive level of this government. We agree with that finding.

The question, again, is about ignoring the rules, which has gone on here. Losing millions of files in contravention of rules, of the law, is bad enough. But worse still is this government’s inability, once the breach has occurred — to fail to tell them that their information is at risk.

This ministry says that it’s “too expensive” to notify individuals. What this entire debacle has shown is that it’s a lot more expensive to break the rules than to follow them in the first place.

The ministry says that tracking people down is hard. Well, I’m one of the files that was lost. I’m not so hard to find. The Privacy Commissioner has particular concern and well-placed concern that some of the data lost, some of the sub groups here, are about special needs kids, child custody cases, health conditions, police interventions in family matters, and over 1,000 childhood survivors of cancer.

My question to the minister is this. Given that the Privacy Commissioner has said that the efforts to date to notify individuals have been completely inadequate by this ministry, my question is: when does the minister intend to properly inform people whose data they’ve lost and is at risk in British Columbia?

Hon. M. Bernier: Actually, in fact, the Privacy Commissioner complimented the ministry for the work that took place after this breach happened. In fact, we took a lot of efforts to make sure that all of those affected — even though some were hard to find, I will admit…. The hard work was taking place within the ministry. In fact, we sent out personal letters to 26,000 people that we knew that were high risk, that were concerned, that wanted to be notified on this. That work did take place.

Did it take a little bit of extra work? Absolutely. That’s why the hard-working staff within the ministry did that work to make sure that those people were notified. I’m proud of the work that the staff did on this file.

D. Routley: Let’s remember what happened here. According to the Privacy Commissioner, this government

[ Page 10241 ]

tried to save $14,000 by breaking the rules. They stored nearly 3.5 million students’ personal information on a $100 hard drive. They stored that hard drive on a shelf in an unsecured warehouse. They didn’t even bother to password protect it. Maybe they were afraid of losing the password. What they did lose was the hard drive itself.

Shoddy, shoddy, shoddy, illegal. My question to the Minister of Education is: how much has this debacle cost taxpayers so far?

Hon. M. Bernier: Within the ministry, within government, we take the protection and the collection of personal information very seriously. We did acknowledge right at the beginning when this happened that a mistake was made. That’s why we worked with the commissioner. There are recommendations in place. We’re going to be following those recommendations.

[1435]

Right from the beginning, it went right as high as the deputy minister, where the good work was taking place, where we were doing the training. We were making sure that all of our staff understood the regulations and the rules to ensure that this won’t happen again.

There is no evidence that this information has been released to the public. Has the data been misplaced? Absolutely. We acknowledge that. Was there a mistake made by staff? Absolutely. We acknowledge that. Was an apology made right at the beginning? Absolutely. We agreed to that. That’s why we’re making sure that we have processes in place, that we’re following the commissioner’s recommendations and that we have all of the training that’s taking place with the staff to ensure this does not happen again.

D. Routley: When the B.C. Lotteries breach happened, they said they’d do better. When the Wainwright breach happened, they said they’d do better. When the breaches occurred in the Health Ministry, they said they’d do better. At least ten significant privacy breaches. Numerous damning reports from the Privacy Commissioner. Repeated promises to do better, to see that it never happens again.

Well, it doesn’t get better. It gets worse. Now we’re cleaning up a mess that has put the information of nearly 3.5 million students at risk. This breach involving sensitive education data happened because government knowingly ignored its own rules. Why should anyone believe that next time they will actually do better?

Hon. M. Bernier: We acknowledged, right at the beginning, that a mistake was made, which is why we are making sure all the staff continue to get the proper training to follow all of the rules that are required within government.

[End of question period.]

Petitions

N. Macdonald: I rise to present a petition on behalf of my constituents in Edgewater. The petition is to pave Crescentwood Drive, Cordillera and Purcell avenues in Edgewater. It is signed by over 30 of the residents of those provincial roads.

K. Conroy: I have a petition, also, from over 1,177 residents in the Trail area — a petition to stop the creation of an access management area in wildlife management unit 4-8, the Pend-d’Oreille River valley.

Orders of the Day

Hon. M. de Jong: Debate on the Speech from the Throne.

Throne Speech Debate

J. Martin: Welcome back, everybody, on both sides of the House. It’s great to be here once again.

In accordance with parliamentary tradition, I move, seconded by the hon. member for North Vancouver–Seymour, that:

[We, Her Majesty’s most dutiful and loyal subjects, the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia in session assembled, beg leave to thank Your Honour for the gracious speech which Your Honour has addressed to us at the opening of the present session.]

[R. Lee in the chair.]

On behalf of my constituents in the riding of Chilliwack, it is a privilege to be the first member to rise and address the Speech from the Throne. Yesterday the Lieutenant-Governor officially opened the fifth session of the 40th parliament, laying out the priorities of this government as we continue our hard work growing this economy. We heard that B.C. is on the right track despite a fragile global economy with oil at historic lows and the dollar falling. B.C. remains vigilant facing these economic challenges. We truly are a resilient bunch here in B.C., and we are doing well in Canada.

British Columbia is leading the country in economic growth and job creation with 50,000 new jobs in 2015. We have been focused. We have been focused on growing and diversifying our economy so that we’re not dependent on one industry, as is the case in some other provinces. We have seen the benefits of a diversified economy, with various sectors doing very, very well.

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This government has a commitment to controlling government spending, balancing budgets and focusing on building a strong, diverse and growing economy that creates jobs and prosperity for all British Columbians.

We are on track for our fourth-consecutive balanced budget. Not once, not twice, not thrice, but four times —

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four times — we are balancing the budget, and we’re creating a climate where businesses can thrive and create jobs for British Columbians. We recognize that economic development and environmental protection go hand in hand. With a growing economy, we can sustain and expand on the critical services for a growing and aging population. We can invest in infrastructure, schools, hospitals.

B.C. is in a very good place right now, and this is because we say yes to responsible economic development in B.C. I know the NDP is against that.

It’s good to look at the past every once in a while and remember how far British Columbia has come. Let’s think back to the ’90s, when there were eight budget deficits in a row, six consecutive credit downgrades, the highest income taxes in Canada. British Columbia became a have-not province. The once proud and prosperous British Columbia became a beggar of Confederation and went cap in hand with our cardboard sign to Ottawa, saying: “Please help. We are governed by the NDP. We need help.” Well, that is not going to happen under this administration.

B.C. has come so far since those days. We just do not share the negative, endless doom and gloom of the NDP. Conversely, we have a positive view of British Columbia. We have a positive view and optimism for the hard work that British Columbians put in to make this province a better place to live each and every day.

B.C. is growing. We’re seeing that people who left B.C. during the ’90s are moving back here because of all the jobs that are being created. We are number one in the country right now, and that is thanks to the hard work of this government and British Columbians. We are number one. Previously, the NDP took us from first to worst. Well, we’re back. We are number one.

It’s a privilege to serve my constituents in Chilliwack. It’s such a beautiful place to live. There are plenty of opportunities to explore the great outdoors. We have numerous hiking trails and are establishing even more with the Experience the Fraser trail system. We continue to invest to expand the trail system, with more than $320,000 in funding, while also providing the opportunity for people to gain work experience through the job creation partnerships. Experience the Fraser is a unique vision to connect the communities, parks, natural features and historic and cultural sites along the Lower Fraser River, connecting Hope to the Salish Sea.

Our search and rescue organizations venture out in extreme conditions to rescue those who have gotten lost, those who have been stuck, those are stranded. The volunteers deserve our gratitude and our thanks each and every single day.

People love to enjoy the beauty of super, natural British Columbia, and I’m pleased that we are providing further support to search and rescue operations across the province. In fact, we are providing an extra boost of $10 million to bolster training, administrative support and equipment renewals for the 80 ground search and rescue groups. This is in addition to the $6.3 million we already provide each and every year. I would like to thank the Chilliwack Search and Rescue society for their hard work and for their diligence during the operations that they perform throughout the year. They indeed do save lives.

We are investing in our schools through capital improvements. Last year we provided $1.34 million to three schools in Chilliwack to upgrade their mechanical systems and replace the rooftop heat pumps. Investments like this extend the longevity of our schools. As well, we continue to work to seismically upgrade B.C. schools.

We introduced a new curriculum to help prepare our students for the jobs they will need once they graduate. And I know the NDP is against that. As well, we have provided funding to expand access to high-speed Internet in our rural areas around Chilliwack. Last year we provided over $890,000 in gaming grants to support local organizations that provide valuable services to members of the community.

Over the years, we have maintained a focus on the B.C. jobs plan, and we’re seeing the results. Our plan is to keep B.C.’s economy diverse, strong, and growing, and that plan is working.

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The plan builds on the strengths of our key sectors and our educated and skilled workforce. We have currently met 14 of the 19 targets, and progress continues to be made on the remaining five targets. There are eight key sectors in the B.C. jobs plan, and the fastest-growing one is the tech sector. The technology industry in British Columbia already employs 86,000 British Columbians, at wages 60 percent higher than the industrial average.

Last month we launched the new B.C. tech strategy. That will support growth of B.C.’s vibrant technology sector and strengthen B.C.’s diverse knowledge-based economy. The strategy will attract and reward investment, create jobs and provide more training.

We have the $100 million B.C. tech fund to help promising tech companies get the capital funding they need to start their businesses, and I know the NDP is against that.

To prepare our next generation for the changing technology, coding will become part of the K-through-12 curriculum. Targeted programs include coding academies, enhanced access to work experience electives, and dual-credit partnerships between secondary and post-secondary institutions. This provides an opportunity for students to gain the basic skills needed for careers in technology.

We are so lucky in British Columbia to be blessed with an abundance of natural resources. Forestry, mining, oil, natural gas — these are all important industries in B.C. With the expired softwood lumber agreement, this government is committed to working with our federal counterparts to create a new agreement.

We are looking out for our mining sector during tough times, very tough economic times. Supporting families

[ Page 10243 ]

and communities during the current slowdown in the sector due to low commodity prices. We are taking action to keep thousands of B.C. mineworkers on the job. Supporting the mining industry directly helps not only the workers but also the surrounding community and the businesses that would be impacted. We all know the NDP is against that.

LNG remains a major component of our plan for a growing and diverse economy. Currently there are 20 active projects at various stages of development, and $20 billion has already been invested. We have done everything we set out to do to attract investment for the cleanest LNG in the world. As companies move toward final investment decisions, we continue to work on bringing the opportunity of LNG to B.C. And once again, the NDP is against that.

Our strategy to increase international trade has been paying off. B.C. is moving to strengthen and diversify trade in Asian markets in order to grow the economy. Total exports from B.C. are worth over $35 billion per year. We have seen an increase of 41 percent since 2009. During that time, exports to China have increased 116 percent and exports to India have increased 660 percent. Through our new trade strategy, raising our game in Asia, we will be opening trade and investment representative offices in Southeast Asia to grow trade with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations region.

There will be many trade and investment opportunities created by the ratification of the Trans-Pacific Partnership agreement. B.C. is well placed to benefit from this as Canada’s Pacific Gateway. I’m going to go out on a limb here and suggest that the NDP is against that too.

B.C. is known around the world for our agricultural products, and 2015 was a great year for agricultural products. In fact, it was a record year for our exports, as some $3.8 billion worth of B.C. agrifood and seafood products were shipped around the globe. We also saw a record $12.3 billion in sales of B.C. food and beverage products in 2014 — the highest ever.

This positive trend will help B.C. meet its goal of seeing revenues in agrifoods and seafoods reach $15 billion a year by 2020. There are 55,000 British Columbians who are directly employed in the provincial agrifood sector. It is a key economic driver in B.C.

We recognize the importance of controlling spending, but we can also invest in our future. There are currently $7 billion worth of infrastructure projects underway without pushing B.C. into debt. We have said yes to projects such as the South Fraser Perimeter Road, the Evergreen line and the George Massey Tunnel replacement, which will reduce wait times spent in traffic and give more people time at home with their families.

We have said yes to the Site C clean energy project, which will provide clean energy for our growing economy for generations to come.

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These projects are creating 150,000 jobs over the next ten years. We say yes to these projects, while the NDP continuously, over and over again, say no to responsible economic development and the jobs that come with it. In fact, this government has a history of saying yes to infrastructure projects, while the NDP has said no each and every single time.

They said no to the Coquihalla Highway. They said no to the Alex Fraser Bridge. They said no to Expo 86. They said no to improvements on the Sea to Sky Highway. They said no to the improvements on the Port Mann Bridge. They said no to the Canada Line. They said no to the revitalization of B.C. Place. They said no to Site C. They said no to the Pacific NorthWest LNG.

B.C. has the potential to be a clean energy superpower and help others reduce emissions. Developing and growing economies like China and India are looking for cleaner energy to power their future. That clean energy can come from British Columbia through LNG, helping others reduce emissions by replacing coal-fired plants with LNG overseas.

Another significant achievement is the Great Bear Rainforest agreement, a monumental and globally significant agreement that conserves a large area along the beautiful coastline of British Columbia while also establishing certainty required for economic development.

We continue to stand up for British Columbians with our five conditions for pipeline projects. We have been clear from the beginning. Our position has not wavered.

Housing affordability is an important issue to British Columbians. Many people are feeling the pressure of cost-of-living increases. We will be taking steps to give British Columbians a better opportunity to enter the housing market and to encourage more housing supply. There’s no single simple solution, but we will work with the municipalities to ensure hidden costs are clear and transparent to the homebuyer. We want to protect the savings and equity existing homeowners have placed in their homes.

British Columbia’s dedicated social workers work hard in the most difficult of circumstances. They touch the lives of thousands of children and families. We owe them our gratitude for helping some of our most vulnerable citizens. They deserve our support. We are committed to maintaining the stability in the ministry that has been deemed critical in the Plecas report. We are hiring even more social workers than recommended. We will see further measures to support both at-risk children and our social workers.

B.C. is doing so well because British Columbians have stepped up. About 80 percent of B.C.’s unionized public sector employees are covered by agreements negotiated under the economic stability mandate. This is a unique position where British Columbians have given themselves a stake in the growing economy. So 250,000 hard-working men and women said yes to B.C.’s economy,

[ Page 10244 ]

and they are seeing the benefits from that. They said yes, while the NDP said no.

Thanks to a stronger than expected growth in 2014, public sector workers will see a modest salary increase. British Columbians work hard, and our economy continues to prove its resilience and outperform expectations. As we welcome new British Columbians into our beautiful province, we want to make sure that they have the skills they need for the jobs that are already being created and the jobs to come.

All across our province, people have generously opened their homes to Syrian refugees coming to Canada and B.C. We continue to work with Ottawa and individual sponsors to settle more refugees and continue to welcome them to our beautiful province. As the most ethnically diverse province in Canada, we have worked together to build vibrant, thriving communities.

I am proud to stand up here and speak about the priorities of this government and how well B.C. is doing thanks to the hard work of British Columbians. We are creating a climate where job-creating businesses can thrive, where our growing economy means we can expand services for British Columbians. We are doing all this because we know how to say yes, unlike the NDP, who continuously, time and time again, say no to British Columbia and British Columbians.

J. Thornthwaite: On behalf of my constituents in North Vancouver–Seymour, it’s with great pleasure that I rise in the House today to second the Speech from the Throne. I’d like to thank my colleague from Chilliwack for moving the debate, and I’d like to welcome back my fellow MLAs on both sides of the House for this legislative session.

[1455]

I’d also like to take this opportunity to thank my constituents on the North Shore, and particularly those in North Vancouver–Seymour. I feel extremely fortunate to represent such a beautiful, vibrant and diverse community, and I’m always proud to stand up in the House on its behalf.

I’d also like to say hello to my constituency assistant Nick, my legislative assistant Brianna and, of course, my communications officer Marc Wang, who work very hard on my behalf.

My riding of North Vancouver–Seymour contains some of the most beautiful landscapes in the province — arguably, in the world. We’ve got: Lynn Creek; Lynn Valley — we’re in the middle of a rainforest; Mount Seymour; and, of course, beautiful Deep Cove; lots of beaches, forests, bustling tourist spots; and everybody wanting to get out to the North Shore.

In the speech that officially opened the fifth session of the 40th Parliament yesterday, our Lieutenant-Governor recognized our province’s first responders and search and rescue volunteers, thanking them on behalf of all British Columbians for keeping us safe and for always working tirelessly to find those who are lost.

Search and rescue is particularly important in my community. North Vancouver is home to some of the best skiing, snowshoeing, mountain biking and hiking trails in the province. And because of our proximity and easy access to the outdoors, we see many hikers and back-country visitors who get injured or lose their way. Over the last few decades, this need for rescue services has increased dramatically thanks to the rise in popularity of extreme sports and other outdoor activities.

North Shore Rescue is one of B.C.’s most well-known search and rescue teams. It’s made up of 40 highly skilled volunteers who respond to about 90 calls each year in mountain, canyon and urban settings. They lend their assistance to members of the public, police, fire, ambulance and other emergency first responders and handle everything from helping lost and injured hikers to locating patients who wander away from facilities like Lions Gate Hospital. They even help locate lost pets. Hurley, the Bernese mountain dog, was one of the more famous ones.

This winter was particularly busy for North Shore Rescue. Many hikers were not prepared for the cold conditions and were either dressed inappropriately or became disoriented and lost. By November, the team had already responded to more than 125 calls. This unprecedented number taxed the team’s resources and led the team leader, Mike Danks, to reach out and ask the province for financial help.

On January 27, our Minister for Emergency Preparedness announced that the provincial government will provide $10 million in one-time funding to help the 80 search and rescue teams across British Columbia, including North Shore Rescue. This is to pay for additional training, replace or update safety equipment and provide administrative support.

This is great news. I was very happy to join the minister, who is also the member for North Vancouver–Lonsdale, and our colleague from West Vancouver–Capilano and all of the North Shore Rescue members for this announcement, along with other members from other search and rescues.

The team North Shore Rescue is an invaluable asset to our community, and all of our residents recognize the vital role they play in keeping people safe. Much of the team’s community outreach was done by former leader Tim Jones, who passed away suddenly on January 19, 2014. We still miss him.

Tim volunteered with North Shore Rescue for nearly three decades, saving thousands of lives and leading even more rescues. He was a relentless advocate for the community gaming grant program and lobbied all levels of government on behalf of the North Shore Rescue. He had me and our MP on speed dial.

Tim’s legacy lives on with the men and women who volunteer with North Shore Rescue, many of whom were

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trained by Tim. I know he would have loved to be there for that announcement, but he would also be the first to say that our work is not finished.

In the Speech from the Throne, the Lieutenant-Governor reiterated our province’s envied economic position. This year we lead the nation in economic growth, and we will be introducing a fourth consecutive balanced budget next week. Our economy is founded on the principle of fiscal discipline and diversification. It’s crucial to its continued growth.

[1500]

Of the eight key sectors in the B.C. jobs plan, the fastest growing is tech. Our province has become a hub for start-ups like Hootsuite, Cognilab, QuickMobile and Fitplan. These are ambitious companies that are pushing the limits of innovation and are attracting and encouraging B.C.’s creative talent. More importantly, they are keeping B.C. talent in British Columbia.

Our tech-friendly environment is the result of the success of establishing industries such as film and digital media. For decades, our province has been Hollywood North. We have helped local talent create a wide variety of screen-based entertainment. The film and television industry alone supports more than 20,000 direct, plus indirect, jobs. That’s a conservative estimate that increases when the business is booming. And yes, business is booming.

B.C. film just finished one of its most successful years. In fact, many in the industry said this past summer was their busiest ever, thanks, of course, to the low dollar, competitive tax rebates and the extension of the digital animation or visual effects tax credit to the post-production sector of the industry.

Extending this tax credit was one of the commitments our government made to support this sector during the last election. By following through, we have ensured that local companies can remain competitive. As Paul Sharpe, president of Sharpe Studios, told me, his company, like many in the industry, was going through a rough time way back in 2013, but the day after the extension was announced, the phone started ringing.

The film industry also supports local companies by opening up new markets for them. Cool Air Rentals opened in 1995, renting heating and cooling equipment to special events and commercial, industrial and IT customers. Soon after they opened, they started supplying film and television productions with heating and cooling equipment. By honing its trade on productions like The X-Files and Jumanji, the company has been able to expand into other sectors.

The film industry has been integral to the company’s growth and now accounts for between 40 and 60 percent of its annual business. This is significant, because that business would not be included in StatsCan’s figures for the film industry, but the film industry certainly contributes to their success.

Cool Air now has the largest fleet of portable air-conditioning units in western Canada and expanded into Alberta in 2013 with the opening of an Edmonton-based warehouse.

To give back to the industry that has been instrumental to its development, Cool Air became a corporate member of the Motion Picture Production Industry Association in 2009 and now contributes to charity fundraising efforts like the Stephen J. Cannell Classic Golf Tournament. If the late Mr. Cannell’s name sounds familiar, it’s because he created classics as The A-Team, The Rockford Files and the locally shot 21 Jump Street and The Commish.

Cool Air isn’t the only company to give back to the community. The film industry routinely supports events like the Reel Thanksgiving Challenge, an annual competition that encourages productions filming in British Columbia to try to outdo each other with raising money for the food bank. In the fall of 2015 alone, local productions raised $87,000 in just three weeks.

The Motion Picture Production Industry Association also supports emerging talent and youth at risk with an annual fundraiser. Over the past ten years, ten emerging young B.C. film-makers have been endowed with mentorship funding and up to $100,000 in in-kind to support emerging talent and help them get their vision to the screen.

The association’s annual fundraiser also supports youth sports groups and community initiatives and provides funding to a wide range of organizations. Over the past decades, more than $100,000 has gone to support organizations such as A Loving Spoonful, Habitat for Humanity, the Paralympic Foundation and groups helping at-risk youth. For three decades, the industry has also hosted Oppenheimer Park Christmas dinner, an annual event that, to date, has served more than 80,000 meals in the Downtown Eastside.

This industry isn’t just a big economic driver. Its members have a huge commitment and community engagement. They have had a great deal of success in encouraging partners to come here to shoot their productions and to give back and help create better, more livable communities.

Last month, the member for Maple Ridge–Mission and I joined the B.C. Creates community, a Motion Picture Production Industry Association special event to celebrate B.C.’s creative industries’ contribution to the community and philanthropy. We also honoured their special guest, industry veteran Danny Virtue.

[1505]

When we support industries like film and tech, we’re helping to diversify our economy. But investing in the future also means upgrading and renewing our province’s infrastructure. There are currently more than $7 billion worth of infrastructure projects on the go, which are expected to create 150,000 jobs over the next decade.

The infrastructure project that I’d mostly like to talk

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about, at least related to the North Shore, is the lower Lynn corridor improvement project. Transportation is the number one top priority for my community, and alleviating congestion and improving traffic flow is of particular importance to our residents, my neighbours.

As part of B.C. on the Move, the government’s ten-year transportation plan will include the construction of new interchanges at Fern Street and Dollarton, which will greatly enhance safety and improve east-west traffic flow along the biggest and busiest bottlenecks in the region.

The plan also includes a new pedestrian, cyclist and emergency vehicle structure at the Crown Street overpass and a new rail overpass at Phillips Road that will enhance rail capacity and provide better access to the Seaspan shipbuilding facility.

This $150 million project in the lower Lynn area will greatly improve safety and access and promote alternative forms of transportation. It’s a great example of what can happen when all levels of government work together — the municipality, the province and the federal government.

This project is part of our government’s commitment to work alongside communities to invest in infrastructure, enhance the movement of goods and bring some relief to the daily commute for thousands of British Columbians. It has been in the works for a long time, and I’m very happy to see it moving forward. I understand there will be a groundbreaking coming up soon.

Another top priority for my community and everybody on the North Shore is affordable housing. Last month, our government announced an increase to the homeowner’s grant threshold. The threshold for 2016 is now $1.2 million, an increase of $100,000 over last year. This program is designed to help alleviate some of the financial pressures of home ownership, particularly for low-income British Columbians, families, seniors, people with disabilities and first-time buyers.

Many residents in the community have been affected by the dramatic rise in home prices, particularly seniors, some of whom bought their homes decades ago for a fraction of today’s costs. They’re now struggling to pay the property tax on properties that are now worth well over $1 million, sometimes $2 million. That’s why I was pleased to hear an investigation will look into allegations of fraud and insider trading by some real estate agents in Metro Vancouver.

The Real Estate Council of British Columbia has already advised us that it intends to appoint an independent advisory group to look into these allegations and to develop recommendations to increase council’s enforcement and oversight. This practice of shadow flipping is definitely concerning, and I look forward to seeing what the results of the investigation will be.

I was also very happy to hear the Lieutenant-Governor talk about helping First Nations share in the benefits of a modern economy, about working with our partners in Ottawa on the inquiry into the missing and murdered indigenous women and about moving forward with the five-point action plan for safe transportation along Highway 16.

Recently, our government announced a landmark agreement over land use in the Great Bear Rainforest, including ceasing the commercial grizzly bear hunt on coastal nations’ traditional territories.

I have visited the Great Bear Rainforest, and it truly is a global treasure. This agreement, which was a successful collaboration between government, forest companies, environmental groups and 26 First Nations will help preserve the unique ecology of what is the largest intact temperate rainforest in the world. This is a great example of what can be achieved when government, First Nations and stakeholders come together respectfully to produce a plan that is to everyone’s mutual benefit.

First Nations will also, I believe, play an integral role in helping us develop and deliver a new plan to combat climate change. Last year, we launched the climate leadership plan, which is currently being assembled by the climate leadership team and through public consultation. We are inviting all British Columbians to tell us what they want to see in the new climate leadership plan.

In fact, last weekend I attended Climate Change and Its Impact on Our North Shore Fish and Habitat, in Lynn Valley, and look forward to their

summary and report and their recommendations.

[1510]

We are already a global leader in climate action, thanks in large part to the revenue-neutral carbon tax that we launched in 2008. This new plan will help us develop long-term goals to shape how our province deals with this issue for decades to come.

On the North Shore, the Squamish Nation has been embracing a balance of environmental protection and economic opportunity. In 2013, the band used a $30,000 grant from the province to assess and identify renewable energy opportunities on its territories, and it has taken an active role in the environmental assessment of the proposed Woodfibre LNG project at Howe Sound.

In October of last year, the Squamish Nation council granted conditional approval of the project, saying that environmental risk can be managed if proper technology and controls are in place. The company backing the proposed facility has said that they are committed to working with First Nations on the project and that with their help they can build a better project.

Currently, $20 billion has been invested in LNG products provincewide to date, and government continues to work towards bringing the projects forward despite low commodity prices that have slowed things down. Not only are we very adamant that industry continue to work with First Nations to find solutions; we are also committed to economic development that is balanced with environmental protection, as set out in our heavy

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oil policy. In order for the province to consider support for heavy oil pipelines, the following five conditions must be established:

(1) Successful completion of the environmental review process.

(2) World-leading marine oil spill response, prevention and recovery systems for our coastline.

In fact, Mr. Speaker, as you know, I attended with you last week the Western Canada Marine Response Corp. in Burnaby to get a firsthand view of their efforts on marine spill responses in Burrard Inlet. I encourage all members in this House to take them up on their offer to have a tour, and I appreciate joining you as well.

(3) World-leading practices for land spill prevention response and recovery.

(4) Legal requirements regarding aboriginal and treaty rights are addressed, and First Nations are provided with opportunities to participate in and benefit from projects.

(5) British Columbians receive a fair share of the fiscal and economic benefits of heavy oil projects that reflects the degree of risk borne by the province, the environment and taxpayers.

Not only do proponents have to clearly identify the measures that will protect against environmental impacts; they must also ensure that benefits to First Nations are evident.

I’d also like to talk about the Tsleil-Waututh, another First Nation in my riding. I’d like to talk specifically about their Child and Family Development Centre. The centre works to promote healthy development in children and families by using a strength-based approach that is community-based and culturally inclusive. In 2014, the facility was recognized with a Child Care Award of Excellence in the innovation category. This award recognized the exceptional contributions of the centre and its staff, who continue to use community supports in innovative ways to bring families closer together and help them reach their goals.

The Lieutenant-Governor also touched on child welfare in the throne speech. She said, “For communities to truly thrive, we must care for those among us who need it,” and to support the many social workers in our province who do admirable work to help the most vulnerable. I understand our budget will be having some good news for them as well.

In the fall of 2013, the all-party Select Standing Committee on Children and Youth, for which I serve as Chair, undertook a special project to examine child and youth mental health in British Columbia. The interim report was published in November 2014 and presented to the House at that time. The second phase of the project was launched last February and focused on identifying concrete and practical initiatives that can enhance mental health services and outcomes across the province.

After extensive public consultations and work by the committee members as well as staff, the committee was able to release its final report a couple of weeks ago, which I have the honour of officially presenting to the House tomorrow. It is called Concrete Actions for Systemic Change .

The committee’s 23 recommendations are based on two years of work investigating ways to improve mental health services. While there are many services and very good work going on in several ministries, as well as by the professionals involved, we found that sometimes they are not easily accessible or well integrated into a system of care. I encourage all members of the House to check out the report on the parliamentary committee website.

[1515]

I’m very proud of the work the committee has done over the past two years, and I hope that the recommendations we’ve put forward will be considered by the new cabinet committee for mental health, which the Lieutenant-Governor mentioned in the throne speech.

Mental health services are particularly important in schools, which is why I’m very pleased to see the changes to B.C.’s K-to-12 curriculum which will not only include more non-instructional time for teachers but will also include a bigger emphasis on mental health, social collaboration, hands-on learning, environmental sciences and aboriginal perspectives.

Youth are at increased risk for anxiety, stress and depression. The Canadian Mental Health Association estimates that more than three million Canadians between the ages of 12 and 19 are at risk and may experience daily symptoms such as panic, nausea and difficulty sleeping. This can affect academic performance and cause them to avoid places, activities and important social experiences. Helping school-age children develop tools that strengthen resiliency and reduce the risk of anxiety is key to reducing their suffering and improving their ability to cope with school and all that life has to offer.

One of my priorities as parliamentary secretary is to promote the program called FRIENDS. FRIENDS is a school-based anxiety prevention and resilience initiative and provides programming from kindergarten to grade 7, with activities and lessons ranging from healthy eating and sleeping habits to empathy-building and mindfulness exercises. These programs also offer training for teachers, counsellors and parents on how to help children learn to be confident and brave.

FRIENDS is available right now to all schools in British Columbia — public, independent and First Nations schools — and is funded by MCFD. Initiatives like this help us create a more welcoming, tolerant and understanding school environment and reduce the hold anxiety and other forms of mental illness have on so many British Columbians.

I’m very pleased with the plan put forward by the throne speech. Our economy is a bright spot in a time of global uncertainty. We are capitalizing on our success, diversifying and investing in front-line workers and

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infrastructure renewal, all while maintaining our fiscal discipline. We are the envy of all of Canada.

We are continuing to care for those who need it and are actively searching for ways to enhance how we can provide them with service. We are continuing to move towards a stronger, healthier and more secure tomorrow for British Columbians.

N. Macdonald: As always, thanks for the opportunity.

I just want to start…. Actually, there’s a number of corrections that I’ll make, but I’ll just start with the mover of the throne speech, the member for Chilliwack.

He cited $7 billion in spending for infrastructure, and he asserted that it wasn’t borrowed money. But it is. It is borrowed money. It’s debt. And members should know these things. This is not something that just magically appears. This is borrowed money and adds to debt, as this government has done at record levels — repeatedly — and will continue to do.

Both members talked about $7 billion. There are promises that total $30 billion going forward, and it’s all borrowed money.

Now, I came to this session, as most members do, with a list of local issues to highlight, but I cannot let what the government repeatedly asserts stand unchallenged.

I wasn’t going to come here and launch on the LNG failures, but in the throne speech, government had to roll out the tired, fantastical, B.C. Liberal promises on the prosperity fund and getting B.C. debt-free, all from LNG revenues. And it’s fantasy. There is nothing true. There’s no way that we should be here as politicians, as MLAs, and have as the basis of the discussion something that is not in any way based on fact or truth or likelihood to ever be true.

Where is the LNG that was promised? First plant up and going by 2015. That was a clear promise in a previous throne speech. Well, 2015 has come and gone. Turns out that promise was as real as the other commitments made by B.C. Liberal candidates in the last election.

[1520]

We were told there were going to be — guaranteed — five LNG plants by 2018. Does anyone who has any knowledge about the industry at all think that that’s possible? It is completely impossible. It always was a fantastical suggestion from government.

We were told there were going to be 100,000 jobs — 100,000 jobs. That figure is still used. It is a made-up number. How is it that elected people come to this House and talk about things that have no possibility of being real? The number was never real when it was put together. It was always intended to confuse the issue.

A new LNG plant supposedly employs 125 people. Now, there would be jobs building pipelines and the facilities themselves, and then there are jobs created by support services — things like that. The support and services are usually estimated by using the multiplier effect. Commonly, if you’re looking at a pulp plant or a mill — the previous member talked about the wonderful film facility in her area — there’s a multiplier. It’s often 2.5, 3, 3.5. Now, with LNG plants, when the government of the United States took a bipartisan committee from the House of Representatives and looked at LNG, they used a multiplier of 3.5.

What did the B.C. Liberals use? Well, first, they went to Grant Thornton. They paid them to do a study. But the B.C. Liberals required them to use B.C. Liberal numbers. The report had to assume that there were going to be five LNG plants. Where did that number come from? It was made up. Why not six? Why not seven? No, it’s a made-up number: five.

Then they had to assume the number of employees that the B.C. Liberals provided, the number of construction workers that the B.C. Liberals said would be used, and then they had to use a multiplier of 30. Now, where is the justification for a number of 30? Nobody uses that. It doesn’t make sense.

In my area, we lost the Canal Flats mill. We lost it. That was a serious blow. That was 150 employees. That’s just the latest of 100 of these mills that have gone down under the B.C. Liberal watch. What if I applied a multiplier of 30 to those 150 jobs? Suddenly we’re up to 4,650. What if I came to this House and said: “Oh, we lost 4,650 jobs with that shutdown of the 150-employee mill”? It would be ridiculous.

Interjection.

N. Macdonald: That’s what this government’s doing. That’s what you’re doing. It’s fantastical. It’s not based on reality.

When you’re handed a package of information as MLAs, do you ever go through it? Do you ever ask questions? Where does this number come from?

Do you notice that certain ministers do not repeat certain things? It’s called self-respect. Does the Minister of Finance talk about the prosperity fund very often? No, because he knows it is a fantasy. It will never happen, just like the 100,000 jobs. It is a made-up number.

I have a lot of problems that intelligent people who have gone through the electoral process come here and participate in that sort of a discussion. If it wasn’t in the throne speech, I would let it go, because I’ve said this before. But to throw back in the throne speech the prosperity fund, the fact that we’re going to be debt-free, is ridiculous at a level that is beyond any normal scope of political debate.

I get exaggerations. I get partisan shots. I get all of that. But there surely is some sort of a realm that we don’t drift beyond. But this government is immune to it. The 100,000 is a made-up number. If you want to go and check, read the Grant Thornton report. Look at what was presented. Look at the assumptions they were forced to

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use when they made the report. Look at the provision they put in saying: “Hey, these aren’t our numbers. These are numbers that were handed to us.”

[1525]

If you do that, and you still use the number 100,000, well then, I guess that says a lot about how seriously you take the job. It’s a bogus number from the get-go, the 100,000.

What about revenues from LNG? It was going to eliminate the debt of $168 billion. It was going to eliminate the debt. It was going to get rid of sales tax. What is it — $7 billion a year brought in by sales tax? LNG is going to get rid of that and create a $100 billion prosperity fund.

In previous sessions, members here sat down and put together the tax framework for getting LNG revenue. We all participated. Everyone had an opportunity to debate. Everyone had an opportunity to vote. So you should be in some way knowledgable about the possibilities for revenue coming in through LNG.

So $125 million is the amount that comes in if an LNG plant is developed. It’s not an inconsequential amount of money, but it is only $125 million after six to eight years after it starts up. The tax cut to the richest 2 percent of British Columbians uses up $235 million a year — the amount of revenue that it takes for two plants to create after they operate six to eight years.

I mean, I would just invite members: take out your paper, and do the math. None of the figures come anywhere close to reality.

The prosperity fund — honestly: no sales tax, at $6 billion a year; no debt; all $168 billion paid off; and there’s no need to borrow ever. Well, none of that is true. Before the Liberals took power, in 2001, the debt was at around $30 billion. Go have a look. It was about $30 billion, and that took over a century to accumulate. But now debt and contractual obligations total $168 billion.

The Premier who campaigned with “Debt-free B.C.” on the bus has added more debt more recklessly than any Premier in the history of the province. The intention is to add another $30 billion in borrowing. Now, the minister questions that. Just go. You can talk to the Minister of Finance. The fact is that this Premier has added debt faster than any Premier in the history of this province.

On its own, if that is what you’re doing, then fine. Be honest about it. But there is something frankly ridiculous about a discussion amongst elected, intelligent people where the premise is that that gets you to debt-free.

How does borrowing a further $30 billion after accumulating up to $138 billion more than when you were first elected get you to debt-free? Okay, if that’s what you are doing, at least be honest about it. The throne speech again talks about debt-free.

What about the prosperity fund? The B.C. Liberals campaigned on it. They talk about it again in this throne speech. It was to be $100 billion as well as no sales tax and the debt all gone. “Just imagine,” we were told.

The Premier’s best friend was here today, actually. Pamela Martin was up there. She tweeted it was a $1 trillion prosperity fund. Wow. I guess after a certain point, who cares — a hundred billion, a trillion? How much is it? It’s zero. How much is it going to be in five years? Zero. How much is it going to be in ten years? Zero.

You might as well, if you’re going for $100 billion…. Well done, Pamela Martin. It’s a trillion. Just fly at ’er. Make it up. But that that should be the basis for a discussion in this House is frankly ridiculous and kind of shameful.

It’s hard to be proud of the job that you’re doing when you’re forced to participate in debates where that’s the premise. What sort of government is it that puts that out and says that this is what’s going to happen when it’s clear that it’s not going to happen?

[1530]

What are the revenues that we have today? Back under the NDP in the fiscal year of 2000-2001, the natural gas revenues that were collected in that year were $2,169,918,288. That’s what it was. Go look in the publicly available financial records of this province. That’s what it was.

Last year, this premier had natural gas revenues, after — what? — four or five years of talking about it, of $666,462,285. That’s not a small figure, but it is one-third of what was collected under the NDP. It’s one-third. In 2013, it was as low as $42 million

Okay, well, that is as it is. But to then stand up with a throne speech and talk about taking those revenues — as well as the tax that gives you money six to eight years after an LNG plant is up, which only gives you $135 million — and to talk about that somehow creating $168 billion to get rid of the debt, get rid of sales tax at $6 billion a year, as well as a $100 billion prosperity fund…. You would have no self-respect if, as politicians, you stood up and repeated that.

The fact is that the notion of exporting LNG is not new. It was talked about by Glen Clark. It was talked about by others. It exists as a possibility, but it is dependent upon the price difference between North America and Asia.

There was a moment in time when North American prices for natural gas had fallen to about $4 per million Btu and Asian prices were at $18 per million Btu. That made it feasible to make money if natural gas were liquefied and shipped from North America to Asia. But if you go back and you look at articles from that period, from 2011, 2012, 2013 — and these are articles from around the world — they point out that this was a temporary price difference and that factors would quickly change the prices to a more equal pricing structure, which is, fairly unsurprisingly, what has happened.

Without a $6-to-$10-per-million Btu price difference between North America and Asia, the B.C. LNG industry cannot work. It just can’t, and no amount of happy thinking changes that stark reality. You can stand up and cluck,

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“Yes, yes, yes,” all you want, but it doesn’t change it. That is the reality that you cannot get past. The price in Asia is what it is. Nothing that has happened now was not always abundantly obvious.

For five years, the government has led a discussion about pure fantasy. There might be an LNG plant. That’s possible. We hope that there’ll be an LNG plant. But the proposition that it would be trillions was always not true. It means one of two things — a willingness by government to engage in a misinformation campaign that, quite frankly, is at a grotesque level…. With the B.C. Liberal tax regime, even if you got five plants you would still have revenues of only one 1/1000 of what was promised.

Members should know this. You participated in setting that fiscal framework for collecting money. Is it possible that you did not understand that in voting for that, you were setting it up so that it was impossible for your prosperity fund or debt-free?

So it’s either that it is an intentional misinformation campaign or the political leadership of the province is so mind-numbingly incompetent that they’re not aware of the reality. It can only be one of….

A. Dix: It could be both.

N. Macdonald: Well, it could be both, but it could, realistically, only be one of those two things, and neither can possibly be acceptable to the people of British Columbia.

The reason we have so many members is…. Surely, if not in here, within your own caucus you sometimes raise these concerns. I mean, that’s what I would ask of you. In your own caucus, can you please speak to your leadership and say: “I don’t want to be representing your expressed views if it’s misleading or if it is so devoid of reality that it’s embarrassing to stand behind it”?

[1535]

I think that’s an obligation that you have to the people of British Columbia as B.C. Liberals and members of government.

Now, the minister of LNG and the Premier are still on about it. I just find it completely insulting to the intelligence of British Columbians. It’s like Bush and his weapons of mass destruction. Enough already. At some point it becomes ridiculous. I am willing to be fair on overstatement and normal political rhetoric. I mean, I am willing to be fair on it.

When the minister of LNG made this statement here in the House…. “Eight new mines and nine expanded mines will be here by 2015.” We guaranteed this because of B.C. Liberal efforts, but instead we have, since 2013, now over 2,280 direct mining jobs lost due to mines closing or going on care and maintenance for various reasons.

Now, I could add the multiplier of 30, but something about having some personal integrity stops me from doing it. So we’re just talking about direct jobs — 2,280. I can accept that miss, actually, from the minister responsible. I actually accept that as a legitimate miss, and I see it as different than what is said about the LNG, the LNG rhetoric. There were supposed to be eight new mines and nine expanded mines.

If I was being honest, I couldn’t actually say that I knew copper and coal prices were headed down. Maybe I should have known. I’m the critic. But LNG is completely different. It always was based on fantasy, and I just find it so offensive for any member to repeat things that anyone informed in this House should know are ludicrous.

What is the B.C. Liberal record, by the way, on mining since 2013? It’s 2,280 direct mining jobs lost, 16 mines down, three opened. I can give you the list of mines that have gone down. Here I can be fair. I can say that’s a miscalculation. Okay, I get it. There are things that government doesn’t control. The government promised eight new mines, and instead we have 16 closed and three opened. It’s a long list, and it impacts a large number of people. The hope is that commodity prices will at some point pick up and we’ll get people back to work.

Commodity prices are down. It is a failure by government to meet promises, but at least I find it somewhat within the realm of normal political discourse, unlike the LNG rhetoric from government, which is, frankly, embarrassing and appalling, really.

This throne speech said an interesting thing. It said that there were enemies of mining. Oh, okay. I think that’s kind of ridiculous too. There are people who are very legitimately concerned about poor B.C. Liberal oversight at mine sites. A total failure of a tailing storage facility leading to 25 million cubic metres of tailings and waters dumped into a pristine lake in British Columbia is, I think, a fair reason to raise some questions. For the Premier, through the throne speech, to support that those are enemies of mining is, frankly, ridiculous. It’s as ridiculous as saying that opponents in other places are part of a ragtag group.

These are legitimate concerns. And 25 million cubic metres of material that is supposed to be contained flowing into a pristine lake is appalling. It happened here in B.C. It didn’t happen in Congo. It didn’t happen in Colombia. It happened here in B.C. If you read the report about what took place at Mount Polley, it is appalling, frankly. If the enemies of mining are those that have legitimate concerns about the lack of B.C. Liberal oversight, well, that’s, frankly, a ridiculous and indefensible position as well — by government members, presumably.

Maybe that’s not what the government is talking about. Maybe the government is talking about First Nations objections to destroying a lake to create a tailings pond at the proposed Prosperity mine. Maybe those are the enemies of mining.

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I guess it skips a step. Unlike Mount Polley, which has a tailings pond that then goes straight in and destroys or damages a lake, the intention with Prosperity was to do

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that straightaway. Well, even the federal Conservative government of Stephen Harper said that that was not acceptable. When Stephen Harper is the champion of the environment compared to you, then you’re probably well off the mark environmentally. So let’s be clear. For most of the over a dozen mines that have closed, it is commodity prices down internationally, and the domestic concerns that are raised are legitimate and need to be treated respectfully.

Governments don’t control commodity prices, but there are areas that governments do control. There are other factors, I think, that this House should acknowledge. It complicates mining projects, as well as other resource development projects, and that’s uncertainty on the land base.

What is happening with First Nations land claims? Where is that? What’s happening with that? The throne speech would have been a good time to lay out what the government has planned for a really important issue, to try to get some certainty on the land base. The Tsilhqot’in verdict has really serious and complicated implications for the land base that require government action. Government — the provincial government — must work with its partners to be part of the solution.

Now, George Abbott was going to head the Treaty Commission. For six months, the federal government and First Nations thought that was the plan. Then a week before he was supposed to take over, he was dumped by the Premier. People asked why, but there was no explanation for a number of days. Then the Premier comes out and says that the treaty process is a failed approach that needs replacing. Okay. That was almost a year ago.

It’s complicated, but it’s critically important, and there was no mention in the throne speech of where we’re going with this. Instead of having fantasy discussions with made-up numbers, why not use this House to have a serious debate about what we’re going to do to move forward with treaty issues and trying to get some certainty on the land base for First Nations and for people who depend upon resource development?

Well, the government — again, this is borrowed money, just for the information of the member for Chilliwack — is going to be taking $10 billion, maybe $12 billion, to work on Site C. And that will be, for this election, the push on jobs. Okay. That’s a lot of money, and it’s public funds that we don’t have, so we’re actually going to borrow to build it.

It is a project that wasn’t reviewed by the B.C. Utilities Commission. Government had to specifically use legislation to make sure that happened, because probably it does not stand up to the scrutiny that the B.C. Utilities Commission would put to it. It is power that will be generated that was first described as power needed for LNG, but that’s not happening.

This throne speech…. They talked about it going to Alberta. Okay, really? I doubt that. Alberta will have the ability to use natural gas to produce its own power. I mean, it’s a ridiculous premise that seems to have been just made up at the moment, as so often happens with this government.

So while we meet in the Legislature and have fantasy discussions about LNG bringing in trillions of dollars, I think there’s so much that is unaddressed by government. In forestry, we have lost 20,000 jobs. Those are direct jobs, by the way. I haven’t used your 30 multiplier on it. So 20,000 jobs have been lost by B.C. Liberals in forestry, and we’ve seen over 100 mills close under B.C. Liberals, including Canal Flats.

The throne speech stated that forestry was booming, but it should be doing way better. Forestry has all of the elements that should make it a boom period for them. The dollar is low, the U.S. economy is healthy, but the jobs aren’t there. They’re not coming. Those that live in rural communities must know that.

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We still have record levels of raw log exports, which are a waste of the resource. Under the forestry act, it’s not supposed to happen, but it’s up to record levels. The government is not replanting in the way that it responsibly should. There is extremely poor inventory, not only with our forests but with wildlife as well. There is a lack of planning that includes communities. There is a lack of oversight in forestry and safety in mills. All of these need to be addressed.

But in this session, again nothing’s going to happen. That all will be ignored so that the government can play games with TPP and Site C motions and all these things that it thinks are clever, as well as the fantasies of 100,000 jobs and a $100 billion prosperity fund, while the real debate on hard topics like forestry is ignored.

In my area, the Trans-Canada Highway remains as a subpar transportation route that is too often unsafe and too often closed. The Premier — I think it was in 2012 — talked about dividing and four-laning from Kamloops to the Alberta border within ten years. They’ve had signs up along the highway. They come up before each election. They promise the same promise, but when you look at the money and you look at the three years, laying out how much money is to be spent, there’s no significant amount of money, ever.

That was 2012. It was going to be done in ten years. There is no serious effort. It’s not mentioned in the throne speech. It again is just this vacuum of straightforward talking.

Jumbo. Why is there a municipality there? Why has it not been cleaned up? There are issues there. There never was an investor. That’s another local issue.

Zebra and quagga mussels. There are a very few people, but there are some, on the opposite side who should be aware of this. I was in Gimli, where there’s an infestation. Government should be taking this seriously and should be putting in all of the measures that it can to protect this

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province from zebra and quagga mussels. We have the ability to do it. In other provinces, it’s more complicated. Just a small amount of money would prevent an infestation, and I can tell you it’s well worth doing.

I’ve talked about this for a long time, and I wish that I could be successful. I don’t know what to do now. I’ve talked to the ministers. I’m telling you: once it happens, it will be too late to fix it.

Anyway, I look forward to this session. I thank you, as always, for listening.

D. Barnett: It is my pleasure and great honour to rise today on behalf of the people of Cariboo-Chilcotin to offer my comments in response to the throne speech during this fifth session of the 40th parliament. First, I would like to wish all members of this House a very rewarding and productive legislative session.

Our province is the envy of Canada for our growing and thriving economy. I am extremely proud that much of our province’s wealth is derived from the natural resources in outlying regions, including the Cariboo-Chilcotin.

Thinking about the year ahead, I am filled with hope. Yes, there will be challenges for all of us, but it is up to all citizens to turn those challenges into opportunities. As I stated, resource industries are vital in the Cariboo and the Chilcotin. The people of that area are working together to bring investment in those key industries — and all industries, in general.

Everyone has a role to play — from ordinary citizens talking about and celebrating what makes our region a great place to live, to chambers of commerce, economic development agencies, First Nations and all levels of government — creating a business atmosphere that convinces investors to come to the Cariboo-Chilcotin. We are pulling together to attract projects that will build our economy, while being environmentally responsible.

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As we know, a strong economy allows us to strengthen our social programs, create jobs, and curb crime and homelessness. Our government continues to support all communities in our great province.

Last March I was honoured to be named chair of the rural advisory council, which was established in 2014 to help identify opportunities for small communities to diversify their economies. The rural advisory council is made up of 14 other people from rural British Columbia, from towns such as Skidegate, Vanderhoof, McBride, Armstrong, Christina Lake, Port McNeill and others.

One of the rural advisory council’s recommendations was the creation of a rural dividend fund to assist smaller communities in transitioning their economies. Last fall I was thrilled when our Premier announced the creation of the rural dividend, which will provide up to $75 million over the next three years to economic stimulus projects in smaller communities.

As the global resource economy is in transition, some of the communities that contribute the most to B.C. are feeling the pinch. The rural dividend will help communities that are working to reinvigorate and diversify their economies and support them in putting in place their own solutions based on each community’s values and needs. The rural dividend will support innovative and ambitious ideas and solutions with potential for the greatest impact on rural communities.

Supporting rural community transition and stability, the rural dividend is focused on the following priorities: building community capacity and quality of life, expanding learning and skill-development opportunities, providing opportunities for rural youth to stay and return to rural communities, and encouraging collaboration and partnerships between rural British Columbia and First Nations.

The $25 million per year pilot program will run from 2016-17 to 2018-19 and be available only to communities outside urban areas with a population of 25,000 or under. The funding will be administered by the Ministry of Forests, La