Second Session, 42nd Parliament

(2021) OFFICIAL REPORT

OF DEBATES

(HANSARD)

Monday, May 31, 2021

Morning Sitting

Issue No. 78

ISSN 1499-2175

The HTML transcript is provided for informational purposes only.

The PDF transcript remains the official digital version.

CONTENTS

Orders of the Day

Private Members’ Statements

Women and aging

J. Routledge

K. Kirkpatrick

Cruise ship industry in B.C.

D. Clovechok

J. Rice

Anti-Asian racism

N. Sharma

T. Wat

National AccessAbility Week

S. Cadieux

K. Paddon

Private Members’ Motions

D. Coulter

R. Merrifield

B. Bailey

E. Ross

A. Mercier

T. Shypitka

S. Chant

M. Lee

M. Starchuk

C. Oakes

R. Leonard

MONDAY, MAY 31, 2021

The House met at 10:04 a.m.

[Mr. Speaker in the chair.]

Routine Business

Prayers and reflections: D. Clovechok.

[10:05 a.m.]

Orders of the Day

Private Members’ Statements

WOMEN AND AGING

J. Routledge: When my mother was just a few years younger than I am today, she

gave me this piece of advice. “Don’t get old,” she told me. “When I was

a young woman,” she said, “men would leap up to give me their seats on

the bus. They would rush to hold doors open for me. Now,” she said,

“when I have arthritis in my hips and my hands and I could use a little

extra help, no one offers me a seat anymore. And when people rush to

open doors, it’s so they can get through ahead of me. I’ve become

invisible in my old age.”

[S. Chandra Herbert in the chair.]

I’ve begun to notice the same thing happening to me. Do women lose

respect as they age? Are older women treated with less respect than

older men? If so, why is that? Does it matter? Is it a social problem we

should be concerned about, and if it is, what are we going to do about

it? These are the kinds of questions I’ll be addressing in my statement

this morning about women and aging.

Let me begin by describing the invisible older woman syndrome.

Yes, it is a thing. You can google it. The invisible older woman

syndrome is a social phenomenon that starts to affect many women at the

age of about 45. They start to feel irrelevant.

The women’s movement has

made great strides, and the lives of women are much less constrained

today than they were in our mothers’ time or grandmothers’ time. But

women still tend to be judged by their physical appearance and perceived

child-bearing and child-rearing capacity, attributes which are all

associated with youth. So when women age, they feel less valuable to

society, and they are not imagining it.

Studies from around the world confirm that older women are less

likely to be hired or promoted than are older men or younger women. The

results of a comprehensive field experiment published in 2017 found

evidence that when candidates are being interviewed for jobs, physical

appearance plays a bigger role in the assessment of women’s

qualifications than it does for men. Furthermore, it found evidence that

older women are judged by interviewers to be less attractive and,

therefore, less qualified than older men or younger women. These

conclusions are based on evidence gleaned from over 40,000 job

applications.

on finding out if 80-year-old Nancy Pelosi, arguably the third-most

powerful person in the world, has had plastic surgery kind of proves the

point. As one opinion piece put it: “Ambitious…women have to look

pre-embalmed when they hit the big numbers, knowing that if they look

anything like Bernie Sanders, who’s actually two years younger than

Pelosi, they will actually cease to exist.” As another journalist put

it, the mere fact that Nancy Pelosi is Speaker of the United States

House of Representatives proves she’s had a facelift.

Another study revealed that when looking for a place to live,

older women are more likely to be told by prospective landlords that an

advertised rental suite is not available, but the same unit is then

offered to younger applicants. Women who divorce in later years are less

likely than their husbands to remarry, and I think we all know at least

one older woman who was terrified she would spend the rest of her life

alone when her husband left her. It’s not an idle fear. Almost half of

single, widowed or divorced women over the age of 65 live below the

poverty line, and their poverty rate is double that of older

men.

That women disappear as they age is embedded in our culture. It’s

the premise of the Alfred Hitchcock classic The Lady Vanishes ,

in which an elderly governess disappears on a train, and no one can

remember what she looked like or even that she was there on the train at

all. In the end, it turns out she was a British spy. In fact, according

to one

article I read in preparation for this statement, intelligence

agencies have been more likely to recruit middle-aged women than the

stereotypic Mata Haris because they tend not to get noticed.

Then there’s the iconic scene from the Netflix sitcom Grace

and Frankie , in which the older Jane Fonda has a dramatic

meltdown when a male sales clerk remains oblivious as she tries to get

his attention but immediately notices and serves a young, attractive

female customer instead.

[10:10 a.m.]

Visibility can be infuriating, but it can also be

life-threatening. For example, we know that the pandemic has had a

disproportionate impact on women workers and family caregivers, but

according to medical journals, the impact on older women, especially in

long-term care, has been ignored everywhere in the world.

I’d like to conclude this portion of my statement by reminding us

of the often-quoted saying that “men age like wine, women age like

milk,” and sour milk is something you throw away.

K. Kirkpatrick: Thank you to the MLA for Burnaby North. Well, it’s been a long

journey for women, and it continues to be. I thank the groundbreaking

women that came before me and started to open the door, and I thank the

amazing young women coming up behind who are kicking that door

open.

All too often it feels like getting older means being

era­sed from a culture that equates youth with beauty and beauty

with value. The world remains rife with ageism and sexism for older

women. But I do see more and more of that narrative changing. I’m seeing

more roles being written for, I’ll call them, mature women in movies.

And I see more women leaders and an expectation that women will be

leaders, regardless of age.

A friend once told me that when a woman hits 50, she becomes

invisible. Now, from the MLA for Burnaby North, I did not know there was

actually a syndrome called invisible older women syndrome, so I have

just learned something. Perhaps my friend was not too far from the

truth.

I think aging is a woman’s super power. As we age, we’re more

likely to be able to live our own life with our truth and be comfortable

with who we are and the value that we bring to others. As I age, I get

smarter. But growing up as a woman in the ’80s and ’90s did result in

some traditional baggage that so many women feel, at my age, and are

trying to get rid of. That’s that self-doubt, the instinct to defer to

others and the very annoying habit of when you apologize to someone in

the grocery store, and they’re the one that actually walked into

you.

I am very lucky that my daughter is growing up in a me-too

generation, where there aren’t, in the back of her mind, traditional

gender roles that are going to guide her life choices. Then when she

finds herself in some situation being disrespected because she’s a young

woman, she can recognize that now, as we perhaps didn’t, and she can

call it out. But hopefully, because of all we’ve learned as we age, she

won’t have to do that.

There is a consequence, however, to longevity. And we can’t forget

that there are a number of continuing social issues that impact women

disproportionately in their quality of life while aging. As our society

ages, the ratio of women to men continues to increase. In Canada, there

are two times as many women living after the age of 85 and five times as

many over 100. The poverty rate for senior women in Canada is almost

double that of men. The largest group of poor seniors are single,

widowed or divorced women over 65, living alone. Almost half of those

live below the poverty line, with isolation being a common struggle for

senior women.

One of the top factors pushing women into poverty later in life is

the traditional role that they play, and that traditional role does

remain, in many ways, today in the workplace and in their families.

Women are much more likely to work part-time than are men. Women

continue to approximately make 70 cents per every dollar earned by a

man, which further exacerbates low-income rates for women, especially

those who live alone or as single mothers.

Women also experience more disruption in their car­eers, as

they take time off to have children and to be caregivers. Now, I noticed

something several years ago, when I was managing a group of women, that

it wasn’t unusual for a woman employee, when she came to let me know

that she was pregnant and she was going to plan her maternity leave,

that she wouldn’t finish that sentence without apologizing to me. This

is apologizing for what should have been the happiest time in her

life.

Then I found I did it myself. When I told my boss I was going to

take time off because I was having a daughter, I apologized. He looked

at me like he was a bit annoyed, like I’d chosen a very inconvenient

time to become a mother. Men don’t experience this.

[10:15 a.m.]

So the preponderance of women living in poverty is also due in

part to biology. Women simply live longer than men: 83 years in Canada,

on average, versus 79 for men. They are much more likely to outlive

their spouses and their savings. That leaves them having to save more

for their retirement. My own 94-year-old mother often jokes that she

would have saved more had she known she was going to live this

long.

But I wouldn’t trade aging for anything. The alternative is not

very appealing. I have learned and grown for all of the journeys and

experiences of my lifetime. It makes me a kinder and gentler person. But

I will still never wear purple or a red hat.

J. Routledge: Thank you to the member opposite for your age-affirming

observations. In my opening remarks, I spoke about the invisible older

woman syndrome. But disappearing isn’t all that happens to older

women.

Snow White , Sleeping Beauty , Cinderella

— these are all familiar fairy tales beloved by generations of children.

These narratives shape our self-image and our rel­ationship to the

world. What do they all have in common? A young, beautiful woman is

saved by a handsome, young prince. But saved from who? In every iconic

fairy tale, the young, beautiful heroine is saved from a jealous, bitter

old woman. Even the classic Wizard of Oz is premised on the

vindictiveness of an older neighbour who morphs into a witch.

Speaking of “witch,” what are some of the other nouns commonly

used to refer to an older woman? Hag. Biddy. Crone. Battle-axe. Old bat.

Even today, when women have more rights than ever before, more

opportunities than ever before to lead fulfilling lives and influence

the world around us on our own terms, it continues to be normalized,

perhaps subconsciously so, that women are expected to compete with other

women for the attention and approval of men. It continues to be

normalized that as we age, our status, our worth will be stolen by

younger women.

We all — women, men; younger, older — have a role to play to break

the stereotype. We need to open our eyes and start seeing older women in

stores, on public transportation, in the workplace. We need to start

including older women in our research. We need to start recognizing that

older women, like older men, have a lifetime of experience, wisdom and

gravitas to contribute as we grapple with the challenges that confront

our planet, our communities, our homes.

Finally, just as women of all

ages are undoing the helpless damsel in distress stereotype, we older

women must resist being typecast as crabby old witches.

Deputy Speaker: Recognizing the member for Columbia River–Revelstoke.

CRUISE SHIP INDUSTRY IN B.C.

D. Clovechok: Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. So nice to see you.

It gives me a great deal of pleasure to rise and speak about the

tourism industry, a pillar of this province’s economy, and to highlight

the cruise ship industry as a key contributing sector of our economic

success.

I had the great fortune in my career to work for Princess Tours, a

subsidiary of Princess Cruises, and spend an en­ormous amount of

time on our ships. The job took me to the jungles of Costa Rica, to

Panama and Nicaragua and, of course, to the glaciers of Alaska and so

many other places and ports throughout the world.

The tourism industry is B.C.’s third-largest economic sector, and

we all know it has been the sector that has been hit the hardest by the

COVID-19 pandemic, especially the cruise ship industry. Traditionally,

April is the beginning of the Alaska cruise season, and the ships begin

to reposition for Alaskan departures, which typically run right through

late September. It has been these ships that have brought tens of

thousands of passengers to visit our beautiful ports of Vancouver,

Victoria, Nanaimo and Prince Rupert, visitors all experiencing the

beauty and hospitality of B.C. and leaving their hard-earned cash

behind, supporting our local and provincial economies.

British Columbia is the largest cruise region in Canada,

accounting for more than 69 percent of all Canadian cruise traffic, with

visitors from all over the world. Most cruisers come from the United

States, about one quarter from overseas and the rest from

Canada.

[10:20 a.m.]

The cruise ship industry in B.C. is responsible for about $2.7

billion in economic activity. In Vancouver, each docking ship

contributes approximately $3.17 million, for a tot­al of about

$2.2 billion in economic impact. The industry creates around 20,000

direct and indirect jobs in B.C.

Here in Victoria the industry is responsible for about 800 jobs,

contributing about $130 million per year.

In 2019, pre-COVID-19 times, 264 cruise ships visited Victoria,

with over 700,000 passengers who, on average, spent about $83 per

person, with crew members spending on average about $113 per person,

locally.

It’s obvious that the cruise industry is a key driver of economic

activity within the tourism sector in B.C. It represents one of the

largest employers yet is an industry that has been completely shut down.

This, in turn, affects thousands of British Columbians and businesses

who are directly impacted by the catastrophic effect that COVID has had

on this industry. The industry has not only been under attack from

COVID-19 but now is under pressure from the United States

government.

The Jones Act, which for decades has been deemed by the cruise

industry as antiquated, is a federal U.S. law that regulates maritime

commerce in the United States. Within that act is

cabotage. That relates directly to the transports

of people and goods between the ports in the same country.

If you have been on a cruise, you would know and have noticed the

amount of detail that is spent on recording passengers coming on and off

ships. This is all due to the Jones Act. Cruise operators are highly

motivated to avoid breaking the Jones Act, because if they do not abide

by the law, there are significant fines that are levied.

Again, this is

an act or piece of legislation that cruise

operators for years have believed is antiquated and restricting. What

most people may not know is that most cruise ships operating out of the

United States ports are not registered in the United States and are

subject directly to the Jones Act.

To put this in simplistic terms, because of the Jones Act, cruise

ships that were not built in the United States or not U.S.-owned, and

with non-U.S. crews, cannot travel directly between U.S. ports unless

they stop in a foreign port. This means that a ship with a foreign crew

or in any way foreign cannot, as an example, go on a round trip from

Seattle, Los Angeles or even Alaska without stopping at a Canadian port,

which of course would be Vancouver, Prince Rupert or

Victoria.

Due to COVID-19, the Trudeau government curtailed the arrival of

cruise ships into Canada until 2022. What that means is that cruise

ships originating in the United States and destined for Alaska in 2021,

because of the Jones Act, would not be able to stop in Canada, thus

preventing them from sailing north.

This has been disastrous news for the American-based cruise

companies and industries, as they are repositioning to reopen their

Alaska market this summer.

In response, the decision to close our ports has, in turn,

precipitated the passing of a bill by the Americans that will allow

ships to go to Alaska without stopping in Canada. This bill was

unanimously passed in a rare example of U.S. bipartisanism and, as I

say, unanimously. President Biden signed the bill into law last week,

which allows cruise ships to sail to Alaska without requiring them to

stop in Canada.

What does that mean for B.C. and the thousands of British

Columbians who depend on the arrival of these ships? It means that the

millions of dollars of tourism-generated moneys that were spent in our

province will end up being spent in American ports like Skagway,

Ketchikan and Juneau, ports that are absolutely dependent on the cruise

industry.

This new law represents an achievement the industry has wanted for

years. The cruise industry has been asking for the repeal of this for

years, and they finally have got it, all because two Alaskan senators

and an Alaskan congressman took it upon themselves to do their jobs and

fight for the well-being of their constituents, who are so dependent on

the cruise ship industry.

J. Rice: Under current U.S. law, foreign-flagged cruise ships travelling

between U.S. destinations are required to stop at a foreign port

in-between. This rule has greatly benefited British Columbia, where

Alaska-bound cruise ships have stopped in places like Victoria and

Prince Rupert.

[10:25 a.m.]

banned cruise ships from Canadian ports until February of next year to

prevent the spread of COVID-19. Because of this, the recently passed

Alaska Tourism Recovery Act temporarily allows Alaska-bound ships to

bypass B.C. ports. This is a temporary measure, with a sunset clause.

The law is clear that the changes would be automatically rescinded when

Canadian ports are reopened to cruise ships.

My home community of Prince Rupert is ready and willing to welcome

Alaska cruise passengers when it’s safe to do so. We have a breadth of

attractions for adventurous souls, with world-class kayaking, whale- and

bear-watching and cultural experiences.

Our restaurants cover the gamut from international cui­sine

to locally caught seafood. While things are gradually opening up across

the province, it’s still not safe enough to open international and U.S.

borders. This is for the health and safety of all Canadians. We are

working with colleagues across the province, with the federal and U.S.

governments. Premier Horgan is meeting Alaska senators on June 9 on this

very matter.

The Transportation and Infrastructure Minister has sent a letter

to his federal colleagues around the logistics of technical stops. The

Tourism Minister has met with the U.S. Consulate General in Seattle and

discussed this issue. She has spoken to the federal Economic Development

Minister on the matter, and she has met multiple times with Ian

Robertson from the Greater Victoria Port Authority.

Ian is also a member of our tourism advisory table. The B.C.

intergovernmental relations team meets with the Seattle consulate

weekly. Provincial government shares a common desire with the people of

Alaska to see a safe return to the cruise ship industry to the benefit

of both of our regions. We’re investing in tourism so that we are ready

when the borders open.

On December 22, we announced a $100 million tourism-specific

stream under the small and medium-sized business recovery grant program

as a response to a call to action from the tourism task force. We’ve

also del­ivered $5 million in dedicated relief funding that is

being delivered by Indigenous Tourism B.C. for Indigenous tourism

businesses.

We have also invested $19 million to support small municipalities

that are dependent upon tourism to build, adapt and diversify their

tourism infrastructure. We’ve invested $20 million for tourism

infrastructure projects supporting destination development. We’ve

invested nearly $14 million to support targeted tourism development

partnership initiatives in the six tourism regions across B.C. to help

the industry recover from COVID-19.

We have also supported local community development management

organizations with $60 million so they can retain critical staff and

offset fixed expenses. On May 27, we announced a $50 million program for

B.C. major anchor attractions.

The province will continue to support and defend B.C.’s tourism

industry and all the people, businesses and communities who depend on

it. I will continue to stand up for tourism businesses, and I look

forward to receiving cruise passengers in Prince Rupert when it’s safe

to do so.

Deputy Speaker: Thank you, Member.

Of course, members are reminded we do not use members’ personal

names in statements.

Recognizing the member for Columbia River–Revel­stoke.

Wonderful part of the world.

D. Clovechok: There you got it. Well done, Mr. Speaker. It is so.

Thank you to the member opposite for their

comments. The British Columbians and their families

whose livelihood depends on tourism and, in this case, cruise ships

deserve a much better fate. The problem that we see before us today has

been on the radar screen for over a year, yet nothing has really been

done to address this issue.

This issue was in front of the provincial leadership as of

February 12, 2021 when they were cc’d on a letter that was sent to our

Canadian Prime Minister from the two Alaskan senators and an Alaskan

congressman informing them: “As neighbours and economic partners, we are

discouraged by Canada’s lack of outreach before announcing this

long-term closure.”

Upon receipt of this letter from the American politicians, red

flags should have gone up immediately for the leadership of this

province, yet the seriousness of this threat to B.C.’s cruise industry

and those who depend on it has been downplayed from the

start.

[10:30 a.m.]

It was dismissed by the Premier who said it was “a blip,” and

assured British Columbians the chances of this law being passed by the

American senators were….

Deputy Speaker: If I might remind the member before he goes further, remarks that

target specific members in this House go contrary to the spirit of this

time. Of course, there are opportunities in question period, speeches,

etc., on other bills to target individuals.

D. Clovechok: A good reminder. Thank you.

The Minister of Tourism told British Columbians the proposed

American legislation was “a temporary measure and its passing was very

unlikely.” The reason I make these comments, Mr. Speaker, is that they

speak to a point that I’m going to be making.

The thing is, is on May 13, the U.S. Senate passed, unanimously,

and approved a bill to bypass Canadian borders for the duration that

they were closed, a bipartisan action that virtually never happens in

the United States. The biggest issue now for B.C. is that the new

legislation has been signed into law by President Biden and will work to

the advantage of the American-based ports, like Los Angeles and Seattle.

This will allow U.S.-based cruise ships from the Los Angeles, Seattle,

Alaskan run to completely bypass B.C., a move that analysts say will

likely become permanent.

The British Columbians who worked directly or indirectly for the

B.C. cruise industry deserve better, or at least the same advocacy and

respect the Alaskans received from their elected officials. Had action

been taken immediately and had the American concerns been taken more

seriously when it first presented, the tourism calamity that is today

and the tourism cruise calamity that will be tomorrow could have well be

avoided.

ANTI-ASIAN RACISM

N. Sharma: I come here today with a great sense of shame — shame that fills

my heart as a Vancouver MLA, whose city is the anti-Asian hate crime

capital of North America.

I know that we are all ashamed of what this means. It means that

reported hate crimes have gone up over 700 percent. It means that, as a

recent poll found, 43 percent of British Columbians of Asian descent

have experienced a racist incident in the past year, ranging from racial

slurs to property damage to physical assault. That is almost half of the

population. It means that as fear of the virus spread, so did hesitation

to visit Asian-owned and operated businesses — businesses that have been

a staple of our communities for decades. It also means that elders in

our community are fearful, now, of walking on the streets.

As I learned the other day, some elders are taking self-defence

courses, learning how to use their aged limbs to protect themselves from

the threat of physical violence on our streets. These elders are arming

themselves with whistles, in the hopes that if they are attacked on our

streets, people will come to their aid and protect them from violence

and hatred that they may face.

This is where we are today. To those elders who are to be revered

and protected in this stage of their lives: I am ashamed that this is

your reality today, and I am sorry. Despite the over 150 years of Asian

immigration to Canada, we’ve yet to overcome the racism and xenophobia

that exists among us.

May is Asian Heritage Month, a time to acknowledge the

contributions that the Asian community has made to British Columbia —

their blood, sweat and hard work that is so deeply tied to the building

of British Columbia, whether it’s our railway system, our agricultural

system, our small businesses, our health care system, and the list goes

on.

Our history is also filled with tragic stories, like the fact that

two Chinese workers died for every mile of railway that was laid across

the Rockies, and so many more. Yet despite these contributions and the

generations of families that live here in B.C., far too many are met

with hatred today.

What is a hate crime? It’s a crime committed against a person or

property that is motivated by hate and includes things like assault,

uttering threats, criminal harassment and graffiti. Hatred is an ugly

thing. It’s defined in law as an emotion of an intense and extreme

nature that is clearly associated with vilification and detestation. It

puts upon those individuals a feeling that they are to be despised,

scorned, denied respect and subject to ill treatment.

This hatred is experienced in reality by our neighbours, like a

Vancouver lawyer who was yelled at in his car when he was on the corner

of Fraser and 41st Avenue by two men who screamed a racial slur. When he

rolled down his window in misbelief, they threw garbage at

him.

[10:35 a.m.]

Or a young woman who was spat at for walking too loudly on the

seawall and has written about grappling with the impacts of this

incident on her well-being. And terrible acts of violence: a 92-year-old

who was forced out of a convenience store on to the sidewalk or a woman

who was punched in the head at a downtown bus stop.

These are just some of the hate crimes and the incidents that have

been reported. We need to ask ourselves: how do we bend this curve? How

do we bring a sense of safety back to our communities and push back

against this racism?

As we learn and listen to the communities that are

im­pacted, we are finding there are many tools that we need to use

in solidarity to make our streets and our communities safe. Number one,

do not be a bystander. Hollaback, an organization, provides bystander

intervention training to help arm us with knowing what we do if we

witness a hate crime. That includes the five Ds.

Distract. Derail the incident by interrupting and di­verting

its attention. Start a conversation with the victim to

deflect.

Delegate. Seek help from a third party that is more capable of

intervening. Call 911 if the situation is speci­fically

unsafe.

Document. Record the incident, always making sure the person who

is being recorded decides what’s done with the footage.

Delay. Check with the person that’s affected. Ask them if they

want you to sit with them or walk with them after the

incident.

Direct. If it is safe, intervene directly by addressing what is

happening and confronting the perpetrator.

There are also other supports that are coming. B.C. is launching a

hotline that is intended to be a multilingual service not delivered by

the police, for British Columbians to respond and report incidents and

receive support and referrals.

We need to support our local Asian-run businesses that have not

only been impacted by the pandemic but this rising hate. We need to

support those community organizations that are on the front line and are

working to keep people safe.

I call upon all of us here today to stand in solidarity against

the rise of hate crimes and all do what we can to support our neighbours

and never be a silent bystander in the face of hatred.

T. Wat: I thank the member opposite for her comments. As MLAs, we have a

fundamental responsibility to not only represent our constituents but

represent the many diverse cultural groups that make up our communities.

Regardless of our personal political beliefs, we must all be allies in

our fight against racism and intolerance in this province. Amidst these

horrific events, it gives me great hope and pride to see so many MLAs

speaking out against the rise in anti-Asian hate that our province has

experienced this past year.

Although we are discussing anti-Asian racism, I think it is also

important to recognize the heartbreaking discovery of a burial site of

215 children at the former Kamloops Indian Residential School. Our

hearts go out to the families of those impacted by this horrific

discovery.

This pandemic has shone a dark light on how deeply racism and

intolerance are still rooted in parts of our society. Last year, more

anti-Asian hate crimes were reported in Vancouver, a city of 700,000

people, than in the top-ten most populous U.S. cities combined. Almost

one out of every two residents of Asian descent in British Columbia have

experienced a hate incident in the past year.

While I thank government for acknowledging the public desire for

more anti-racism initiatives by establishing an Anti-Racism Awareness

Week, we have far to go if we are to truly eliminate hate and

intolerance in our province. We need to take concrete steps that amounts

to more than just sympathy. This is why I wrote to the Premier and

Attorney General last week, outlining a ten-point plan of crucial

actions government could take to truly follow our province’s mission of

eliminating racism.

[10:40 a.m.]

The official opposition has asked government to take the following

steps.

One, activate the Select Standing Committee on Education to review

policies and actions that have contributed to the rise in racism and

conduct a comprehensive examination of the current state of racism in

B.C. by working with organizations and community representatives to

provide recommendations on how we can improve.

Two, fund an anti-racism secretariat to monitor and quantify

discrimination, promote preventative measures and report on this

progress to the Legislature by the end of this calendar year.

Three, quickly implement and activate the hotline for British

Columbians to report racist incidents, announced on April 30,

Four, increase funding to multiculturalism and anti-racism

programs.

Five, develop more educational tools and resources for the K-to-12

education curriculum to combat racism and educate students about the

contributions of immigrants to British Columbia.

Six, ensure local police forces have sufficient resources to

respond quickly and to fully investigate hate crimes and racist

incidents, including online reporting.

Seven, ensure that the Attorney General’s Crown prosecution

service treats racist incidents as a priority for charge determinations

and prosecutions.

Eight, press the federal government on amendments to

section 718.2

of the Criminal Code with respect to sentencing for hate-inspired crimes

to better define hate based on race.

Nine, apply to the National NewsMedia Council for a review of

media coverage to determine the extent, if any, to which language,

visual depictions and editorial content may have conditioned people to

accept racial stereotyping and racial intolerance.

And ten, call upon major media outlets in Canada, as well as

on racism and the unacceptable incidents of harassment in recent months

in conjunction with the 50 year anniversary of Canada’s multiculturalism

policy.

I look forward to the Premier and the Attorney General’s prompt

response. Implementing these steps will go a long way to securing a

bright and tolerant future for all so we can work together to build a

culture of acceptance where all people can feel safe no matter their

race, their religion or their background.

N. Sharma: I’d like to thank my colleague for her very deep and powerful

comments and to acknowledge that many of us are wearing orange today for

the recent and tragic discovery of the bodies of those children at the

Kamloops residential school.

I’d like to spend the rest of my time thanking

organiz­ations who are supporting people on the front lines of

this increased incidence of hate. Resilience B.C. supports an

anti-racism network of organizations across B.C. on the front lines.

This includes Queenie Choo and her fabulous team at SUCCESS. MOSAIC and

Collingwood Neighbourhood House are all part of the anti-racism

network.

I’d like to acknowledge artist Christopher Tse, who created a

public service announcement where he wrote and directed Eyes

Open , which is a beautiful call to action and a tribute to the

Asian-Canadian community during this Asian Heritage Month.

I’d also like to thank all the organizers of the May 29 day of

action and all those who participated. It is always the show of

solidarity and support from our community in response to these incidents

that brings us hope for a better future, one where our elders can walk

the streets without threats of violence and hatred. Throughout our

history, it has always been the solidarity and action of groups like

these that help us build a more equal society. I know we all are very

grateful.

NATIONAL ACCESSABILITY WEEK

S. Cadieux: We all benefit from a society and an economy without barriers to

inclusion. But every day people with disabilities face barriers to

accessing basic necessities like housing, employment, resources and

services.

National AccessAbility Week is an opportunity to celebrate the

valuable contributions of people with disabilities and to recognize the

efforts of individuals, communities and workplaces that are actively

working to remove barriers to access and inclusion. The theme this year,

“Disability inclusion 2021: leaving no one behind….” Well, that will

take some work. It won’t be the default.

[10:45 a.m.]

Most people watching this or even hearing this right now are

probably thinking: “Yes. Of course we should do that. That’s nice. But

it’s not about me. I don’t have a stake in this.”

This morning I would like to be a bit provocative. No. I would

actually like to be a lot provocative. It’s not about me or other people

with disabilities. It’s about you. The whole reason we have to have this

week is because you, in the widest sense, have, and continue to, built a

world and policy that exclude us. That creates barriers for us. We don’t

do it to ourselves. We can’t fix it or overcome it ourselves. It’s about

you as individuals, as businesses and as policy-makers.

Let me explain why you should care. In 2017, 22 percent of

Canadians aged 15 and over, or about 6.2 million people, identified as

having one or more disabilities. That’s nearly a quarter of the

population that might have an issue interacting with you, might not be

able to access and purchase your services and products, might not be

able to relocate to your community or exercise their rights as

citizens.

Among those people with disabilities aged 25 to 64 who were not

employed and not attending school, 39 percent want to work. That’s

nearly 650,000 people that are ready, willing and able to work, but they

aren’t working because businesses aren’t hiring them or because the

places of work aren’t accessible. That’s a huge untapped labour pool

that could be mobilized to fill job openings.

The reality is…. As the Conference Board of Canada showed in a

report titled the Business Case to Build Physically Accessible

Environments , in January of ’18, the number of Canadians living

with physical disabilities that impair vision, hearing or mobility will

rise by 1.8 percent per year between now and 2030. The total population

growth in that same time will average less than 1 percent a

year.

The same report suggests that implementing measures to improve

hours and increase GDP by $16.8 billion. This larger pool of available

workers would boost the total income of people with disabilities by over

$13.5 billion. Yet here we are, still building barriers.

Why are there no accessible electric-vehicle-charging stations? An

example of how we’re continuing to exclude — building barriers — and an

example of bias: assuming that no one with a disability would also have

an electric car.

Multi-storey buildings with only one elevator. When it’s out of

order, there’s no access.

Cities piloting e-scooters. Sounds like fun for some, but these

are a huge barrier to people with disabilities who need clear sidewalks

for safe routes. People with mobility aids can’t get by. People who are

blind can trip over haphazardly discarded scooters.

What about, for example, the blocking of accessible parking spaces

at an Island Health unit to use as a tented area during COVID? One

action for a purpose eliminates access to the whole clinic.

What about policy barriers? Here’s an example of a barrier to love

and relationships. For those requiring income supports from government,

a long-standing challenge. Incomes are reduced for couples, treating

these couples differently than two-income couples who are able to work.

Now we’re not just talking about access. We’re talking about

dignity.

problem. We all have a role to play. You might not need these things

today. I didn’t either, until a split second changed my world to one

where I couldn’t even go home. These are truly fixable problems. They

are barriers we can break down. We have to see them, and we have to make

change.

Here’s some homework. If you’re an individual member of the

public, ask yourself: what biases do I hold? How can I be an ally? Do I

know what to watch for? When I see a barrier, do I point it out and

images and caption your videos? I’m still struggling to get this right

myself.

If you’re a business owner, do an inventory. How ac­cessible

are you? What about your website or the apps you use for customer

loyalty? Engage an expert for assistance. Put up a sign. Ask your

customers to tell you how you’re doing, what you’re doing well and how

you can do better. Make a plan to make changes when you learn you have

deficiencies.

If you’re a municipal leader, do you have a disability advisory

group? Are you actively engaging with them? Ask citizens with

disabilities to share the challenges they face accessing their

community. Review your bylaws. Check in with your planning and

inspectors. Do they have enough knowledge to do their jobs properly? Do

they need a crash course in what to watch for? Do you have an accessible

parking bylaw? Are you permitting accessible and adaptive

housing?

[10:50 a.m.]

If you’re an MLA or cabinet minister, demand change. Let’s make

sure we put an access lens on all our work, not just on, but starting

with, the Accessible B.C. Act. I ask this as your colleague, a friend,

an advocate and, most importantly, as a person who knows personally how

much good intentions aren’t enough.

I’m tired of feeling thankful when there’s an accessible washroom,

a ramp or a powered door opener. I’m tired of fishy-smelling freight

elevators that are considered access to public places like restaurants.

I’m tired of arriving at appointments to find that the accessible

parking is being used to house shopping carts, dumpsters or snow piles.

I’m tired of having to explain to people why it is not okay for them to

assume that I always want to have or always have someone with me to

assist me.

There is a lot to do. This week this Legislature can commit to

change. Let’s see that we do.

K. Paddon: I’m grateful for the privilege of speaking from the traditional,

unceded territories of the Stó:lō people.

Although I am so thankful for this opportunity to discuss

profound grief. Even despite the importance of this topic, it doesn’t

eclipse the trauma currently being experienced across our

province.

As the member opposite has highlighted so well,

ac­cessibility is everyone’s problem. This week, May 30 to June 5,

is National AccessAbility Week. It is also British Columbia’s fourth

annual AccessAbility Week. This week is an important opportunity to

recognize and show appreciation for the self-advocacy, support and

commitment of so many individuals, families and organizations who work,

speak up and lead the way to inform us and to educate us on how to be

inclusive and accessible throughout British Columbia.

The British Columbia Aboriginal Network on Disability Society, or

BCANDS, is celebrating with National Indigenous AccessAbility Week. They

describe the importance of this week, with the intersectional lens of

indigeneity, with the following: “Honouring the rights of Indigenous

peoples in Canada means honouring the rights of Indigenous peoples

living with disabilities to be included and protected in our

communities.” As they put it, simply: “If it’s not accessible, then it’s

not acceptable.”

are built on a history of norms — typical, average and majority. Systems

of attitudes, policies and environments that worked for most — or at

least, many — were good enough. For those who could not access, the

fault or issue was squarely located within the individual — a history of

blaming some people for not fitting neatly into boxes. But we know it’s

not some people. In B.C., over 900,000 people aged 15 and older, about a

quarter of our population, identify as having a disability. In Canada,

one in five adults has a disability. As our population ages, this number

is expected to grow.

55 percent of Canadians have a connection to physical disability in

their daily life, either personally or through someone they care about,

impacting how people work, buy, access services, travel, spend time

together and participate in our community. We also know that issues of

interacting with impairments related to pain, mobility, flexibility,

learning disabilities, mental health, cognition, vision, hearing or

communication, we know that age, gender and race — aspects of identity

that also have an impact on accessing society — can compound and further

Based on Statistics Canada, in 2019, roughly one in three Métis

and First Nations people living off reserve had one or more disabilities

compared to one in five for non-Indigenous Canadians. The prevalence of

disability increases with age, and although disability can occur at any

time of life, rates range from 13.4 percent in youth to 41.7 in seniors.

Also, women have a higher prevalence of disability than men, regardless

of age, at 26.5 percent.

Only by identifying, removing and preventing barriers can we move

forward together to an inclusive B.C. where everyone has access to fully

participate. That’s why I’m so excited about the Accessible British

Columbia Act that was introduced on April 28 of this year. Once passed,

this act will enable us to move ahead with establishing new

the built environment. This Legislature….

[10:55 a.m.]

Deputy Speaker: Member, sorry. If I might remind the member, we don’t talk about

legislation that’s in front of the House except in speeches on that

legislation. But thank you.

K. Paddon: Thank you.

I’m also very grateful for our government’s announcement this past

weekend that in celebration of B.C.’s AccessAbility Week, there will be

Through Disability Alliance B.C., with their mission to support all

people with disabilities to live with dignity, independence and as equal

and full participants in the community, $500,000 in grants will be

accessible education and learning; sports and recreation; arts, culture

and tourism; community participation; emergency planning and response;

or accessible employment.

The pandemic has shown us what it looks like, what we are capable

When so many of us suddenly had to change how we access our jobs, our

colleagues, our families, our education, our services, we had to pivot

immediately. As we celebrate this week, let us carry that learning

forward far beyond these past months and truly embrace the idea: “If

it’s not accessible, then it’s not acceptable.”

S. Cadieux: I thank the member for her comments. I appreciate her allyship.

She’s right: nobody fits neatly into a box. It has taken too long to

recognize this and too long to change. But we have shown, during this

last year, that we can pivot. So let’s do that. Earlier I cited a few of

my daily barriers, but I asked my friends in the broader disability

community for theirs. Here are some examples.

The move to self-serve-only gas stations, because pumping gas is

not actually a simple task for many drivers with disabilities. I’m

pretty sure I know every full-serve station in the Lower Mainland and

Victoria.

Limited seating at event venues, always at the back and always

limited to one person with a disability and one guest, like we don’t

have more than one friend or family member.

Getting stuck in the hallway in buildings where there’s Braille

signage on the elevator buttons but not on the walls on the floor you

need to visit.

Restaurants with a majority of high-top tables or booths, because

— news flash — these are not accessible options for wheelchair users or

people with other mobility issues.

Limited options for transportation. Temporary procedures initiated

by TransLink during the pandemic made it very hard for people with

disabilities to ride transit safely. Ride-share companies are not

stepping up to provide wheelchair-accessible service. On this front, I’d

argue that companies would do a lot better if they hired some people

with disabilities to help them innovate. People with disabilities are

experts in innovation — like the new prototype airline seating, designed

by a woman with a disability in Montreal, as just one

example.

The incredible, and I do mean incredible, lack of accessible and

adaptable housing options across the spectrum.

Regular stresses of wondering if medical appointments might be

cancelled because an individual can’t transfer independently onto

inaccessible exam tables. Yes, the barriers are real, even in health

care.

The worst, though, and still the more pervasive, barrier, of

attitudes — attitudes about the value of people with abilities, about

What it all boils down to is that the rights of people with

disabilities are not being met. Governments at all levels are letting

people down. If someone today were not able to access a public space

because of their race, we would be rightfully mad as heck, and society

would demand action. Yet if somebody today is unable to access a public

space because the space is built to exclude them, we make excuses: it’s

too expensive, only a few people need it, it’s not our market, or it’s

too difficult. Well, that’s just not good enough.

This is National AccessAbility Week. It is a time to recognize

people with disabilities and their accomplishments. It’s also a time to

recognize that there are hundreds and thousands of people who are

prevented from engaging fully, prevented from giving back. Just imagine

how many more accomplishments we could celebrate if we made sure that

all people had access to the same things that you do and take for

granted. As the B.C. Aboriginal Network on Disability tweeted, “If it’s

not accessible, it’s not acceptable” — period, full stop. Get mad with

me; get loud with me. It’s 2021. Demand access for everyone.

Hon. J. Whiteside: I ask that the House proceed to the consideration of Motion 9,

standing on the order paper in the name of the member for

Chilliwack.

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

proceed with Motion 9 without disturbing the priorities of the motions

preceding it on the order paper.

Leave granted.

[11:00 a.m.]

Private Members’ Motions

INCLUSION FOR PERSONS

WITH DISABILITIES

D. Coulter: I would like to move:

[Be it resolved that this House recognize the fourth AccessAbility

Week and reaffirm its commitment to building an inclusive province that

improves the lives of people living with disabilities.]

Hon. Speaker, we celebrate awareness weeks in British Columbia to

highlight and create awareness of important issues.

[N. Letnick in the chair.]

This week we celebrate the abilities of people, recognize the

individuals and organizations that continue to go above and beyond, and

raise awareness about what each of us can do to make our province more

inclusive. The recognition of AccessAbility Week is supported by our

government, and there’ll be several events this week. The minister and I

had a kickoff event this morning.

Yesterday, to start off AccessAbility Week, we announ­ced

grant funding will support organizations across the province in removing

barriers and creating new local opportunities for British Columbians

with disabilities. We’ll have more announcements throughout the

week.

People with impairments are not disabled until they

en­counter a barrier that gets in the way of full participation in

their communities. Our lives and communities are not built with disabled

people in mind. But our government is committed to making B.C. a better

place for people living with disabilities. We’ve introduced the

Accessible British Columbia Act to remove barriers for people with

disabilities, and 25 percent of people identify as having a disability.

That’s one-quarter of our province that we have put barriers in front

of. The ABC Act will identify, remove and prevent these

barriers.

Much of our work is ahead of us. To be a truly inclusive province,

people living with disabilities can fully participate in their

communities. Together we can create more opportunities for meaningful

employment, support greater independence and help facilitate full

workplace and community participation for people with

disabilities.

It is so important that we are enshrining this week in Bill 6, the

Accessible British Columbia Act. But it goes without saying that

year, especially if we want to identify, remove and prevent barriers in

people’s lives.

I have had my own lived experience, but my role has driven me to

become a better advocate. When I became an MLA, people from across the

province reached out with their personal stories. I must thank the

member for Surrey South for her stories today. I share many of the same

stories with her. Today I’ll share some stories — in particular, my

experience with parking lots just yesterday.

I went to get my hair cut. It looks pretty good, right? As I’ve

said in this House before, I circle businesses to find access and stuff.

When I got there, there was an accessible parking spot which had enough

room for me to get my wheelchair out of my car. But the curb cut was

around the corner. I had to go through the parking lot. Sitting in my

chair, I’m somewhat short, and there are cars backing out of spots and

stuff. This is hazardous.

After I got my hair cut, I went and stopped at a store. They had

an accessible parking spot, but the curb cut was in the middle of the

parking spot, which made it so that if you left your car in the parking

spot, you couldn’t access the curb cut. These are two stories just from

yesterday, while I was on the way to the Legislature.

These types of physical barriers represent only a subsection of

the barriers people with disabilities face in their everyday lives. The

highest proportion of disability types is related to pain, but we know

people also face disabilities impacting their flexibility, mobility,

mental health, seeing, hearing, dexterity, learning, memory,

developmental and more.

MLAs from all parties need to support AccessAbility Week. We need

to recognize that we need to make our spaces more accessible because I

and many struggle with this every day. I’ve often met people out for a

drink or a bite to eat and had to return home because the venue wasn’t

accessible. I used to chock it up to the way things are, but it doesn’t

have to be that way.

[11:05 a.m.]

We can build a province where everyone is included, where everyone

can participate fully in their communities. I’m here today talking to

you in this House as a passionate advocate. It is with this passion that

I urge this House to recognize the fourth AccessAbility Week.

R. Merrifield: I love the passion that I just heard, as today I rise in the House

to speak positively to this motion, because I believe that this House

wholeheartedly needs to affirm its commitment to building an inclusive

province that improves the lives of people living with

disabilities.

This one is personal for me. Daniel was born six weeks early. He

had a difficult delivery and was kept in the NICU for a few weeks. His

brain didn’t get enough oxygen, and he was diagnosed with dyskinetic

ataxic cerebral palsy and a severe hearing impairment when he was ten

months old.

Daniel’s mom has fought for occupational, speech and

physiotherapies, for school integration and for an equal chance for

independence, education, a job and, ultimately, a future for her son.

She had to pay for any modifications or special equipment necessary to

level the playing field for his growth and future.

I can still remember her tears when Daniel may have gone into the

pool with his hearing aids on or lost one of them while he was having

fun. Her background as a teacher, administrator and professor enabled

her to work towards a positive diagnosis and plan so that Daniel could

have the best chance at an independent life and productive, positive

future.

I have watched Daniel struggle with simple physical tasks or miss

out on opportunities because of a lack of ac­cessibility when it

should be there. People with disabilities are often forgotten,

overlooked or just plain not considered when designing our societal

important.

Every British Columbian deserves to have equal access to

employment, services and the built environment. It’s not just Daniel

that requires this commitment; 25 percent of the population does. But

Daniel, well, he’s a fighter — fiercely independent, strong, smart and

very funny. He has always had to work harder to overcome his physical

limitations, while performing tasks that are much easier for those

without disabilities.

My hope is that motions, but moreover, commitments like these,

will be a step to levelling the playing field for others like Daniel,

steps that lead to action and positive change. Considerations need to be

made in all facets of our society — how we move, how we accommodate on

transit, our housing, our businesses and our education system. Daniel

was, at one time, thought not to be able to read or write, but give him

a computer, and thoughts could pour out of his trapped mind.

How do I know Daniel and his mom so well? Well, Daniel is my

nephew, and his mom is my sister. Daniel is now 25 and a graduate of

university, an active blogger on all things politics and sports. He is

so smart.

But the pandemic has been difficult for those with disabilities. A

cold for Daniel is not the same as a cold for me. Daniel contracting

COVID would be devastating. Daniel was overlooked in many ways in this

pandemic. Daniel is only a symbol of the 25 percent of those with

disabilities, because despite being immunocompromised, ones like Daniel

still had to take public transit. He was still required to go into the

office that he worked at.

This pandemic was simply a light — a light that shone through the

cracks of missing legislation, missing societal norms, and gaps within

our systems of care. This evidence of how the pandemic has affected our

society provides us with an incredible opportunity to fix it, to make

life easier and more accessible for everyone, all of the

time.

[11:10 a.m.]

We must take this opportunity. We must stand up for those

overlooked and make adjustments to give an equitable chance at

independence and life, to make sure that we all benefit from the

thoughts, contributions and community that every British Columbian has

to offer.

My hope is that Daniel and other people with disabilities will be

able to have stronger futures because of the work that we do in this

Legislature.

B. Bailey: I rise to support the motion: “Be it resolved that this House

recognize the fourth AccessAbility Week and reaffirm its commitment to

building an inclusive province that improves the lives of people living

with disabilities.”

Technology designed to include all users is called adap­tive

technology, or AT. AT is a broad category that includes both software

and hardware. An example of adaptive software is Microsoft’s Seeing AI,

which uses artificial intelligence to describe the environment around

you through the use of the camera on your smartphone so that blind folks

or folks with low visibility can have increased situational awareness.

Examples of AT hardware are things like adaptive keyboards and toggles

and mechanical chairs.

Technology and technologists have unlimited capacity to aid those

living with disabilities to fully integrate into community, education,

workplace and society. Many tech advances have led to the opening of

access for people living with disabilities — tools such as screen

readers, audiobooks, voice-to-text programs, geolocation tools, AI, and

so much more.

If you have not yet seen the incredible work going on in robotic

exoskeletons, I encourage you to look it up online. These devices

provide the ability for some people who have been unable to walk, to

walk on their own while wearing the device.

The relationship between people living with disabilities and the

technology embedded into our daily lives can be fraught, depending on

whether the tech has been built from the ground up with people with

disabilities in mind or not, and whether people with disabilities have

been involved in the creation of that tech or not.

Last week I visited Neil Squire centre in Burnaby. Thanks to the

team there for the incredible work and the fascinating tour. The guiding

vision at Neil Squire is to achieve economic and social inclusiveness

for all people with disabilities. The program that I found most

compelling was Makers Making Change. This program leverages the capacity

of community-based makers, occupational therapists and volunteers to

develop and deliver affordable, open-source assistive

technologies.

What does this mean? Here’s a great example: the LipSync wireless

mouth mouse. This device was designed and refined by maker volunteers,

community members, engineers and tinkerers who volunteer their time to

solve technical issues between what the user wants to do and what the

product allows them to do. So in this case, the use challenge was using

a touch screen if hand dexterity does not allow. The LipSync device is a

mounted device where the movement of a joystick by one’s lips and a puff

of air from one’s mouth controls the cursor and touch features on an

iPad.

Neil Squire has more than 200 active volunteers, mostly engineers,

working with clients to build or create the AT needed to fully access

products that we all take for granted, such as our phones, computers,

gaming consoles, screens and even things like driving our cars or

opening the oven. Makers design or build open-source adaptive

technology, often relying on 3D printers to print out the device once

designed.

All of the designs are open source, meaning the code, if software,

or design and instruction, if hardware, are open for anyone to use from

their website. They also have instructional videos. If a person prefers,

they can be partnered with a maker who will build the device in

question, asking only to be reimbursed for the cost of parts. All

devices are designed with simple, inexpensive parts that can be ordered

easily or 3D-printed at Neil Squire or elsewhere. If the device the

consumer requires isn’t created yet, then a volunteer maker can work to

create a solution that meets the needs of that user.

I was so impressed by the range of adaptive technologies available

on the Neil Squire website. I encourage you to check it out.

Some tech companies have truly embedded adaptive technology into

their company DNA. Apple is a great ex­ample. They’ve been a huge

leader in the way that accessible design — and providing a range of

put, iPhone has become the most powerful and popular assistive device

ever.

[11:15 a.m.]

What stands out about Apple is that they seamlessly include

example is VoiceOver, AT reading off the contents of the screen in a way

that allows blind users to navigate OS easily.

How have these companies, companies like Apple, been so successful

in their AT integration? Inclusion. Representation and inclusion are

critical to getting AT right. The mantra of many living within the

disability community is: “Nothing about us without us.”

Companies that hire folks from the disability com­munity to

get these adaptive technologies right — they’re the ones that are doing

it right. Research indicates that integrating folks with disabilities

into product design improves the product overall for all users, not just

those with disabilities.

Hats off to the leaders in this space and to the makers, such as

those working at the incredible Neil Squire Society.

E. Ross: On behalf of my constituents of Skeena, I am more than happy to

address the following motion: “Be it resolved that this House recognize

the fourth Access­Ability Week and reaffirm its commitment to

building an inclusive province that improves the lives of people living

with disabilities.”

I first gained insight into this issue when I sat on the Haisla

Nation Council. We wanted to build more wheelchair ramps, purchase more

chair lifts and aid equipment at home to help with beds and bathrooms,

but the whole process was application-driven. So our response was

limited to whatever government approved, especially when it was outside

of our existing federal funding agreement.

Now that my band has its own source of revenues through title

agreements, we have not only funded some of these services ourselves but

are even capable of offering benefits for our off-reserve members as

well. But ultimately, my real insight into the world of people with

disabilities didn’t happen until I came here to the Legislature in

At that time, we had three elected MLAs in the B.C. Liberal caucus

who used wheelchairs throughout the stone passageways of this

Legislature that was designed with a 19th-century approach to access and

mobility that was virtually non-existent by today’s

standards.

Now, the building has since seen a number of improvements, but at

the end of the day, each MLA I knew experienced difficulties unique to

their own situation and abilities. Former MLA Sam Sullivan first sparked

my curiosity when he thanked my offer to help, but my kind of help

wouldn’t do much good. That led me to ask him a whole bunch of questions

about his unique set of difficulties and how he managed in a highly

specialized wheelchair.

Sam was very patient and kindly tolerated my ignorance and

politely answered my questions. At one time, we were both late for a

caucus meeting at the Legislature, so I offered to walk with Sam and his

wife, and she told me he would probably beat us both there because his

wheelchair actually moved quite fast, which it did. I ran behind the

whole way down Government Street.

My next learning experience came from former MLA Michelle

Stilwell. One night when we were departing from an event, I offered to

help push Michelle up a hill, but I couldn’t find any handles on her

wheelchair to push on. Her loud, somewhat fierce and independent voice

came out as she declined my offer. It wasn’t a polite declination

either. But as we talked more, I understood where her attitude came

from. As I got to know her even more, I began to realize that she

experienced a lot in life, but it was never enough to quell her

competitive spirit or her exceptional will to be independent.

The last insight I got was from our caucus chair, who I caught

red-handed standing up beside her car after a day’s end, and she

explained to me the basics of blood circulation and that standing was

still possible for some.

By seeing the world from different perspectives, I got even more

inspired to learn more. I’ll never forget playing wheelchair basketball

with Michelle Stilwell and players from the Wounded Warriors Canada

program here in Victoria. It was that moment I saw the pride and

determination of people who refuse to give up, regardless of setbacks.

It was inspiring, to say the least.

So I have a different outlook when I come to a traffic stop or I

see a parking spot or a ramp. It makes me think about what it’s like for

someone who is hearing-impaired, uses crutches, has limited sight or

doesn’t have the use of their legs or arms. It’s not about special

treatment. It’s about having equal access to the same services that the

rest of us take for granted at times.

I will leave you with one last thought. One day I was outside a

restaurant here in Victoria getting ready to go inside with my fellow

colleagues, but our caucus chair had stopped short at the

entrance.

[11:20 a.m.]

When asked what was wrong, she informed us that the restaurant

didn’t have wheelchair access. I was stunned, angry, but felt crunched

up inside thinking about how she felt about the simple act of trying to

enter a place that could possibly affect her whole day and, saying that,

how it could affect her whole life. Her response was casual: “It

happens. It’s no big deal.”

But it is a big deal, not just for equality but for the simple

reason of inclusion.

A. Mercier: I’d like to rise to speak to the motion moved by my friend, the

member for Chilliwack: “Be it resolved that this House recognize the

fourth AccessAbility Week and reaffirm its commitment to building an

inclusive province that improves the lives of people living with

disabilities.”

There are two people in my life that have really opened up my eyes

to the barriers and impacts that having a disability can bring to bear

on somebody’s life and also that the lack of appropriate supports can

have on folks. They’re both injured workers.

One of them is my friend the member for Chilliwack, who I’ve had

the pleasure of knowing for over a decade now. I’ve seen firsthand…. I’m

thinking back to university, to college, being two, I think, relatively

good-looking young men trying to go out and find a spot to have a

beverage and seeing the problems that that can cause when there is no

appropriate to sit.

I’ve watched the member for Chilliwack come into this role and

tirelessly focus on advocating for other folks. That’s really been the

tenor of the spirit that he’s brought to advocacy for his whole life.

It’s really typical of the member for Chilliwack, as well, that he’s not

engaged in self-advocacy. He is busy fighting for others.

Now, the second person is my mother. My mother is a nurse, and I

remember, quite young, she had an injury that’s very common among

nurses, which is that she injured her back. It started off as a slipped

disk. A slipped disk leads to a surgery. A surgery leads to a fused

spine, and a fused spine leads to chronic pain, an inability to walk

properly in many ways and a lifelong fight with WorkSafe to try to

return to work and to try to get an appropriate accommodation so that

she could continue working and eventually retrain and move on and become

a professor of nursing at Douglas College.

My point here is that through my friendship with the member for

Chilliwack but also my own experience growing up with a mother with a

disability, you see firsthand the impacts that a helping hand can have

to help reduce barriers and to help people lead their best lives,

because the fact of the matter is there is a dignity to work.

Outside of personal, familial relationships — your marriage, your

relationship with your parents, your child — the single most important

relationship in somebody’s life is work. It’s where you spend the bulk

of your time. For many folks, it’s where you get your sense of purpose

and meaning. Returning to work and going through a return to work, it’s

not a single day, it’s not a single event; it is a lifelong process that

occurs over the course of someone’s working life.

Now, as legal counsel to a labour union, I was involved in that

process firsthand for many grievors and for many members as they

struggled to return to work with an injury. Often you would have an

employer that would be looking for an accommodation and a lot of very

difficult realities around trying to manage the accommodation process

and manage the return to work. It is so important that we as

legislators, the government, support that process.

I’m proud to be a part of a government that’s invested $6 million

in the National Institute of Disability Management and Research over the

next four years. We’ve done that specifically to help promote disability

management. I really want to reiterate management and process here —

this isn’t a singular event — so that folks can get back to

work.

Part of what that funding is going to go to…. That funding has,

really, three strategies behind it: promoting disability management

programs, assessments and improvements as well as educational

development and professionalization.

[11:25 a.m.]

But a core part of that, and part of the professional designation

component, is scholarships for part-time and full-time students enrolled

in bachelors of disability management programs. We need to support the

folks who are doing the critical work and helping support others so that

we can all go on to lead our best lives. No one should be regarded as

should have to go through those kinds of impacts.

I’d like to say that I strongly support this motion and I strongly

support the work of my friend, the MLA for Chilliwack.

T. Shypitka: On behalf of my constituents of Kootenay East, I am pleased to

support the following motion and will use my time this morning to

explain why.

But before I do, I would just like to use a few moments to offer,

on behalf of all of the constituents of Kootenay East, our sincere

thoughts and prayers to all of those in the Kamloops area and those

survivors of the residential school system across the

province.

Today I also send my prays to the Ktunaxa Nation, as well, whose

traditional territories include Kootenay East. The St. Eugene Mission is

just north of Cranbrook and was the site of a residential school from

1910 to 1970. My friend Cheryl Casimer is a survivor of that school and

wishes more positive relationships between Indigenous and non-Indigenous

people. True change can only happen when we work together, and this is

what she advocates for. I couldn’t agree more. May we all pray for those

215 beautiful souls and the unthinkable loss that tragically has been

uncovered.

To speak to the motion I wholeheartedly support, “Be it resolved

that this House recognize the fourth AccessAbility Week and reaffirm its

commitment to building an inclusive province that improves the lives of

people living with disabilities….”

When we think of disability as a concept, it’s natural for us to

relate to the last person we saw trying to access a building without the

proper entrance facilities or perhaps the pain of watching someone

trying to navigate sidewalks that are not up to speed for people living

with disabilities. However, rather than look for problems in this

debate, I think we should concentrate instead on finding appropriate

solutions.

According to the latest data gathered by Statistics Can­ada,

an estimated one in five Canadians aged 15 and over had at least one or

more disabilities that limited their daily activities. This is according

to a national 2017 Canadian survey on disability. That’s why I think

this morning’s debate is so important.

Until we have a cumulative understanding of each and every one of

the challenges that people living with disabilities face on a daily

basis, both physical and mental, we won’t be in the right position to

help and inform government policy. Those with more severe disabilities

often have lower rates of employment, lower income — even when employed

full year and full-time — and a greater likelihood of living in poverty,

regardless of age.

As an elected representative from rural British Columbia, I think

it is also worth noting that there is a substantial difference in the

challenges that people living with disabilities face between those

living between urban and rural parts of the province. Urban and suburban

parts of B.C. have a much wider tax base and, therefore, the ability to

deliver far greater access compared to our rural counterparts.

Therefore, those living with disabilities in rural parts of the province

do face greater challenges because of fewer available resources. We need

to change that.

Winter, spring, summer or fall, my riding of Kootenay East

presents its own set of challenges for those living with disabilities in

small-town B.C., day or night. It’s difficult, even at the best of

times, for a fully able-bodied pedestrian to navigate rural sidewalks at

night with no proper lit crossings, let alone deep snow. For people

living with disabilities, this is nothing short of a complete disconnect

from everything that most people enjoy without concern every day. This

is unacceptable.

We need a coordinated effort by all three levels of government. If

we have a chance at making a difference in the general well-being of our

whole society, city planning and bylaws need to coordinate with

provincial legislation and federal funding for appropriate models for

complete inclusiveness.

[11:30 a.m.]

Able-bodied people need more education, understanding, on the

barricades that face those with physical and mental disabilities. This

can all be done with more conversation and focus.

My colleague from Surrey South said it best on recognizing these

challenges. She said: “We have to see them, and we have to make change.”

She also said: “If it’s not ac­cessible, it’s not

accessible.”

Although I wish I had more time in this debate, suffice to say

many different levels, both mental and physical, much more remains to be

done, and that’s why I support the motion on behalf of Kootenay

East.

S. Chant: Thank you, Mr. Speaker, for this opportunity to speak in support

of the motion.

I speak to you today from the unceded territories of the Musqueam,

Tsleil-Waututh and Squamish Nations, where I have the opportunity to

both live and learn.

I also put my hand on my heart for those children, and I am so

sad, and I know the people in my riding are so sad to acknowledge

something that has been part of unknown knowledge before, and has now

truly been said as: “This is real, and we have to see this.”

I would like to talk about a couple of other things that maybe

have been spoken to in this time. I want to talk about the invisible

population. We’ve heard Daniel’s story, where Daniel has a mom and an

auntie who are very able to advocate on his behalf and has done many,

many things that many other children with similar disabilities would

never have the opportunity to access, because their mothers and aunties

and families have lobbied and advocated and rallied. There are many

other people in our population that don’t have those strong advocates,

and as such, our society isn’t able to recognize them and support them,

because they don’t make it to that place.

I speak of what I call our invisible population. We have children

that are staying at home, cared for by their parents with some help,

perhaps, from our health agencies or from our various organizations, but

their parents are often full-time caregivers for the children. They

can’t access school. They can’t access baseball. They can’t access

soccer. None of those things are available to them because of the way

that they are dealing with their world.

When the families reach out for help and when the families reach

out to advocate, sometimes they get that help and sometimes they don’t.

Sometimes their advocacy is heard, and sometimes the energy that it

takes to do that advocacy and do the care and try to have a life is too

much.

We talk about our youth. We talk about our youth who are in….

Let’s talk about elementary school. School is supposed to be available

and accessible to everybody. It’s not. Elementary school is not

necessarily available and accessible to everybody of the appropriate age

to be there. Again, there are many different things that have been done

and can be done and many things that have not been done at all. We have

to look at each person and look at the community in which they are

living and the environment that we’re trying to support and get them

there — support them to be there. There are so many people that haven’t

even come to the surface.

We talk about our 25 percent. I’ve heard many people say 25

percent of our adults in British Columbia and in Canada are dealing with

disability. We have a lot of children behind that number too. We have to

remember them as well. We have to support them as well, because they

will become our adults. I did hear somebody who indicated that the

growth of the numbers with disabilities is going to outstrip our birth

rate. Absolutely it is. Our aging population is going to contribute to

that as well.

There is no reason in this day and age — it’s 2021, by the way —

that we should be having people saying: “I can’t do this because it’s

not accessible.” That is just wrong. It’s not acceptable in our society.

However, we’ve got to do the work and continue to do the work and demand

that the work be done.

[11:35 a.m.]

I heard somebody else speaking: “We need the three levels of

government.” We absolutely do. That means we need to collaborate and

work together and have goals that integrate, again: “Nothing about us

without us.” We’ve got to have our goals that integrate the people that

we’re working towards.

I find it absolutely amazing when I see some great and wondrous

plan put together by somebody that does not include the people that it

impacts. We’ve got to learn from ourselves and from each other how to

make this work. I thank you for this opportunity to support this motion

in its fullness.

M. Lee: Today as we recognize National AccessAbility Week, I am pleased to

rise to continue the discussion on the motion before this House: “Be it

resolved that this House recognize the fourth AccessAbility Week and

reaffirm its commitment to building an inclusive province that improves

the lives of people living with disabilities.”

It is certainly a motion needing considerable discussion in this

House, and I appreciated the contributions of my colleagues to this

discussion and the continued advocacy by many members of this House,

including our former colleagues representing Vancouver–False Creek and

Parksville-Qualicum, as well as the members for Chilliwack and Surrey

South. We learn a great deal from each other in all of this.

Similarly, the work in this House to move forward with Bill 6, the

Accessible British Columbia Act, is certainly a much-needed step towards

great deal in the past few years about what it means to make communities

more inclusive. An essential component of that work must be to provide

safe, inclusive and accessible public spaces so that everyone can live

and participate to their full potential.

or simply as a set of criteria that businesses are required to meet to

be within the bounds of the law. But true inclusion goes far beyond

simply doing the bare minimum. It involves looking at the world and the

policies we design, from the built environment to social programs,

experience of people with disabilities and truly seeks to ensure a world

where everyone can take part to their full potential.

This year’s theme for National AccessAbility Week is: “Disability

inclusion 2021 — leaving no one behind.” How do we ensure that in this

House, through the work we do every day, no one gets left behind? It’s a

question that we need to continually ask ourselves.

Our approach certainly needs some modernizing and an attitudinal

shift. There continue to be obvious gaps in the way that we approach

guidelines for designing accessible parks and outdoor spaces, which

means that, unfortunately, many parks in the city cannot be equally

appreciated and enjoyed by all. In contrast, cities like Campbell River

have established guidelines for parks that set out appropriate

dimensions for accessible signage, trails and parking, all to improve

disabilities.

There also continues to be the need to increase the number of

accessible public restrooms along TransLink’s routes, as only the SeaBus

terminals and West Coast Ex­press trains currently have them, as

opposed to what are effectively staff bathrooms, which are only usable

by asking a SkyTrain attendant. None of the six underground stations for

the planned Broadway subway will initially have accessible public

washrooms either — only hypothetical possibilities of them being built

in the future.

We in this House have been elected to serve as MLAs because we

want to make life better for our constituents and because we want to

make our communities better, more equitable, more inclusive and

accessible, where people can thrive and live full lives. We have all

made commitments, as this motion suggests, to improve the lives of all

British Columbians.

This pandemic has disproportionately impacted people with

disabilities, and we can’t make decisions about recovery without taking

this into account. We need to take a look at the lessons that this

pandemic has taught us and the gaps that have been revealed and

proactively ensure that we do not discriminate against people with

disabilities. We must do better.

[11:40 a.m.]

Our discussion here is an important part of that work, and I hope

that we will see the sentiments expressed today go beyond words and into

real action. People living with disabilities face very real barriers

every day, in the built environment and in attitudes, and we in this

House should feel an urgency to do our part to break down those barriers

that can prevent people from being able to fully participate in

society.

Let’s commit to working together to improve the lives of all

British Columbians.

M. Starchuk: The motion, in part, asks that the House reaffirm its commitment

to building an inclusive province that improves the lives of people

living with disabilities.

It was a few weeks ago that we heard the MLA for Vancouver–West

End speak about his four-year-old and fart bikes. It’s not that when I

about a four-year-old and when they ask them: “What do you want to be

when you grow up?” I think about the upcoming legislation and moving

forward, and I think about a four-year-old with no barriers, and they

can do whatever it is that they want to do when they grow up.

about the creation of the Accessible British Columbia Act, which will

build an inclusive province and work for all of us. The act will remove

the barriers so that all people can fully participate in their

standards aimed at identifying, removing and preventing barriers to

I’m familiar with some of the regulations that are currently in

existence as Surrey’s former chief fire prevention officer. We were

always ensuring that building code and fire code regulations were being

adhered to. When a fire alarm bell is ringing and someone needs to get

out, there are many things to consider. Strobe lights for those with

hearing disabilities, Braille on doors and elevator keys for those with

visual disabilities and emergency pull stations at the height for those

in wheelchairs are just a few the British Columbia building code and

fire code regulations in use today.

Our government is committed to the United Nations convention on

the rights of persons with disabilities and the principle of “Nothing

about us without us.” It’s important to note that James Charlton

authored the book Nothing About Us Without Us in August of

2000. The term “Nothing about us without us” expressed the conviction of

people with disabilities that they know what’s best for them. This

mantra became the rallying call of the United Nations convention on

persons with disabilities, which was adopted in 2006.

While we wait for Bill 6 to take some time to implement…. We know

it will take some time, but it doesn’t preclude local governments from

my riding, we have many civic facilities that have looked at

gold certifications through the Rick Hansen Foundation.

Surrey is currently the highest-participating municipality in

Canada. Surrey offers a range of adapted and inclusive programs in

sport, leisure and recreation, which include wheelchair basketball,

sledge hockey, chair yoga and fitness, audio book clubs,

sensory-friendly spaces, inclusive cooking programs and one-to-one

skating and swim programs. I’ve been told that Surrey is currently

working on updating their parking bylaws, which include signage and

parking stall requirements that would have helped out the MLA for

Chilliwack.

This leads me to a personal story of a friend and a colleague and

33-year-old with cere­bral palsy and hydrocephalus. A number of

years ago we engaged in a group conversation regarding the word

“handicapped.” He spoke to the origin of the term and how it was not a

word that anyone with a disability cared for. Cap in hand, when

connected to handicapped, is a term that was offensive to

Peter.

I am pleased to see my city,

Surrey, is removing this type of signage from all the public areas,

washrooms and other public areas. I’m hopeful that other private areas

in my city and other cities in British Columbia will follow suit and not

wait for the upcoming legislation of Bill 6.

Lastly, Mr. Speaker, I’d like to take some time to address some

concerns, one in particular that a constituent has with regard to

perception that Bill 6 would lack inclusion of learning disabilities

under the definition of impairment. This constituent has a child

diagnosed with learning disabilities, including dyslexia and

ADHD.

[11:45 a.m.]

I can assure this mom, who is a physiotherapist, that this is

enabling legislation. It provides a framework in which we can create

regulations based on thorough consultation and consideration. It’s not

intended to create prescriptive lists that wouldn’t be flexible in the

future.

It’s my hope that Erica, like many others who have contacted us,

will be understanding that this is a definition and will know that it’ll

include all of those that have been diagnosed with learning

disabilities.

I look forward to a better society for all British Columbians and

when the Accessible British Columbia Act comes into full force and

issues are so far in the past that we have to google them, the same way

the four-year-old googles what a VCR was.

C. Oakes: I want to recognize that I’m joining the de­bate today from

the Southern Dakelh Nation.

My prayers are with all the residential school survivors and their

families during this heartbreaking time.

On behalf of my constituents of Cariboo North, it truly is

humbling to join the members of this Legislature to recognize the fourth

AccessAbility Week and to reaffirm its commitment to building an

inclusive province that improves the lives of people living with

disabilities.

I want to thank all of the members who have shared today. I

especially want to acknowledge my colleague from Surrey South for her

tireless efforts as an advocate for improving the lives of people living

with disabilities. She has done this work both inside and outside of

government, and I want to personally thank her for her leadership, her

education of and for the work that she continues to do.

I commit to this House that I’ll join her call to action to get

mad, to get loud and to demand access for everyone. When we discuss the

need for affordable housing, we need to be ensuring that we also have

adaptive housing. Far more needs to be done, and I appreciate the member

for Surrey South’s advocacy on this. Another takeaway from the member’s

comments is to understand that people with disabilities are experts in

innovation.

Imagine the incredible potential of a post-pandemic world where

everyone has access to and can participate in the rebuild of our

magnificent province. Several weeks ago, during one of our Children and

Youth Committee meetings, I had a profound moment — where the meeting

will stay with me for a long time. We had the opportunity to hear from

Myles Himmelreich, a strong advocate to increase the understanding,

support and inclusion for children with FASD and their families. I want

to sincerely thank Myles for sharing his story, for being vulnerable,

for standing up and helping us understand how all of us can help remove

barriers.

I also want to thank the Representative for Children and Youth and

her team for providing recommendations on how we all can be removing

barriers when we look at legislation in this House. I also want to

acknowledge the government today for the announcement that they have

made for increasing support for students with disabilities enrolled in

public secondary institutions. This work has been championed for many of

the student associations, for the Alliance of B.C. Students. I think

that it’s important to hear from students and that when the government

listens and makes improvements, we acknowledge and recognize those

efforts.

The ACE program supports accessible post-secondary education for

students who are deaf, hard of hearing or deaf-blind and are attending

or planning to attend college and university in B.C.; the CAPER program

that provides alternative-learning-format materials such as digital

audiobooks, large-print text, electronic text and other suitable formats

to students and instructors; and the pilot program that supports

post-secondary students that require specialized adaptive

technology.

I know we all share an incredible pride in our world-​class

post-secondary education system. We understand that access to advanced

education is essential to rebuilding B.C.’s economy. We must ensure that

no British Columbian is left behind as the province moves forward.

Despite the importance of post-secondary education for employment

outcomes, students with disabilities still face significant barriers to

accessing post-secondary education and, following completion of their

degree, barriers to accessing employment.

[11:50 a.m.]

We must get loud. We must remove barriers. And there’s so much

more that we need to do. I want to recognize and thank the Alliance of

B.C. Students for their advocacy on this topic. In particular, I want to

a student at Capilano University, and Jessica Levesque, who attends

Fraser Valley University. Their advocacy on improving inclusion at

post-secondary is incredibly valuable. I thank them for their

efforts.

From listening to the students, I gained a perspective and an

awareness on the experiences students with disabilities face, including

disruptions to their education due to financial, health and

exceptional additional costs both directly and indirectly related to

their education.

It is critical that we recognize and understand invisible

disabilities such as dyslexia. It’s vital to apply a critical lens to

our post-secondary institutions so that we can celebrate past

achievements but, in so doing, develop a better understanding of what

life is like with a disability. So I am calling on the government with

the request that the Alliance for B.C. Students has recommended: that

the province of British Columbia conduct a provincewide survey on the

experience of students with disabilities in post-secondary

education.

I think this makes sense. In the minds of many, if it’s not

accessible, then it’s not acceptable.

R. Leonard: I rise in support of the motion by the member for Chilliwack to

recognize our fourth AccessAbility Week in British Columbia and reaffirm

the commitment of this House to building an inclusive province that

improves the lives of people living with disabilities.

AccessAbility Week is not only a time to celebrate all the

incredible work being done by diligent and thoughtful people and

organizations throughout B.C. to make it a more equitable and inclusive

place for all. It’s also a time to raise awareness and commit to doing

our part, individually and collectively, to making life better for those

with diverse abilities, those abilities that have not been fully

recognized and accommodated in the mainstream.

With nearly a quarter of B.C.’s population aged 15 and older,

that’s more than 926,000 people living with disabilities, and the

numbers are growing. It’s apparent that we’re not talking about just a

small portion of society. If you’re not someone living with a distinct

challenge to your ability to move, communicate, learn, understand or

cope with everyday matters, your life is more likely than not to be

touched by such a person. We’re talking about living with a disability

as a regular part of everybody’s life.

In the spirit of “Nothing about us without us,” our government

swept the province in the fall of 2019 to consult with people with lived

that would lead to standards and regulation, entrench the voice of those

living with disabilities and review to make sure we continue to make

progress.

[Mr. Speaker in the chair.]

My own community came out to the Comox legion to share with the

then minister their challenges and ideas for addressing their needs. I

recall Jean sitting in her wheelchair, speaking with passion and

strength of purpose to address communication challenges and technology

for the hard-of-hearing, reminding us of the range of experiences as

people with multiple disabilities strive, in an exhausting daily trial,

to participate.

I have ridden the bus with my sight-impaired friend, Michael

McLellan, a tireless advocate for the disabled. After he moved, he

shared about the painstaking work to learn the lay of the land and

travel in new places that the sighted only need a road map and bus

schedule in hand to navigate.

I have my own experiences of living with a cane on and off over

many decades. People with transitory or episodic challenges or invisible

disabilities also regularly face attitudes about justifying their lives.

The need to reduce stigma is very real.

I’m also grateful to John Higginbotham, who has made it his

mission to entice newly elected Courtenay councillors and senior staff

to tour the city with him on an electric scooter. A poorly placed bush

at an intersection, inadequately designed public washrooms —

experiencing the safety challenges and frustrations of navigating a

walkable world does more than raise awareness and understanding. It

elicits a compassionate response to make it right. That’s why it’s

exciting to see the focus of our government on building an equitable and

inclusive B.C. that it is accessible and improves the lives of people

living with disabilities.

[11:55 a.m.]

Today, as we provide more programs and supports, doors are opening

for a different world. Our government has raised disability rates many

times, the latest being the single greatest increase ever. We’ve also

raised the amount people can earn without clawbacks. We’ve supported

people living with disabilities through the pandemic with income

supplements and grant opportunities, work experience programs and

adjustments to grants and programs to give flexibility in these

uncertain times.

We are dedicated to including people with disabilities in a strong

recovery, building a more accessible, inclusive B.C. in child care,

affordable housing, school playgrounds, supports for post-secondary

education, accessible government services, improvements to

transportation and the built environment, communication tools and

learning resources, technology, business supports, and so much

more.

We can be assured of continuing attention with the member for

Chilliwack in the new position of Parliamentary Secretary for

build a more inclusive British Columbia and improve the lives of people

living with disabilities. As we move forward, AccessAbility Week has

more and more reasons to celebrate together.

R. Leonard moved adjournment of the debate.

Motion approved.

Hon. J. Osborne moved adjournment of the House.

Motion approved.

Mr. Speaker: This House stands adjourned until 1:30 in the

afternoon.

The House adjourned at 11:56 p.m.

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